the European Parliament votes for action on biodiversity and climate change

This was a key week for biodiversity and the environment in Strasbourg.

Members of European Parliament (MEPs) signaled their strong support and voted on both the European Green Deal and the resolution ahead of the 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) happening next October in China where the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework will be agreed.

In a move that could make the EU lead the way for an ambitious agreement at the CBD, MEPs passed  a resolution that highlights the need for a global, legally binding mechanism to protect global biodiversity and stronger implementations measures. This includes calling for at least 10% of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) budget to boost biodiversity.

The COP15 will not only review the achievement and delivery of the CBD’s Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, it will also and more importantly, address the much awaited post-2020 global biodiversity framework, which will define new targets for the next decade, on which the Commission will be working during 2020 to define the strategy for the Union.

It is critically important that the new deal has the necessary level of ambition if we are to turn the tide on the current biodiversity crisis. Everyone is looking to this new framework as the watershed moment, but the current levels of political will and ambition around the world are very far from where they need to be this close to the meeting.

The text voted today is on the right track for the EU to take a strong position, but we have seen many times how commitments and real action are two separate things. This can no longer stand. 

On a parallel note, following the unveiling of the EU Green Deal by the European Commission in early December – which failed to address the issue of wildlife crime – 482 MEPs voted on Wednesday to include additional and more ambitious language on the issue.

Wildlife trafficking is now recognized are a “major driver of biodiversity loss” and the text proposed also urges the Commission to renew the Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking (WTAP) which ends this year.

IFAW believes that the EU WTAP was an instrumental tool to highlight the problem of wildlife trafficking in Europe and kick start action, but further targeted effort must continue post-2020.