Nature Targets

NIEL is taking forward a Nature Targets project in NI, as part of a wider Environment Links UK project

The aim of the project is to forge a common four–country policy and advocacy position in the environment sector ahead of international talks for a post–2020 global nature deal. This is to help galvanise UK governments behind a strong negotiating position capable of securing an effective global deal to bend the curve of nature’s decline.

As members will know, in 2022, the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will meet in Kunming, China, to agree a post–2020 global biodiversity framework. It will take the place of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020, which aimed to halt biodiversity loss by 2020 and has failed.

(Image: Puffin on rocks) With particular thanks to Oliver Hellowell, Professional Landscape & Wildlife photographer (who just happens to have Down Syndrome) www.oliverhellowell.com

One of the project objectives is to illustrate the scale of domestic effort needed in each administration to contribute to the proposed global post–2020 framework and articulate the challenges in a way that allows each administration to showcase its own leadership role, using international aspirations to boost domestic ambition.

As the project name suggests, another of the main project objectives is to develop a nature targets briefing. This will link to existing UK commitments, e.g. 30×30, (to protect 30% of land and ocean by 2030), and seek to address delivery strategy at national level. A briefing on monitoring, reporting, verification and enforcement of nature targets at national level will also be prepared. The four–country briefings will be compiled in a report and utilised as a basis for communications and advocacy.

An initial Nature Targets briefing, ‘A Global Goal for Nature and People’, setting out the overarching ELUK shared position on evidence–based international species and habitat targets can be found here.

NIEL looks forward to working with members on taking this Nature Targets project forward. Please do get in touch so that NIEL can best serve the needs of the environment sector’s wider work, and to provide your organisations valued input to the design of shared nature targets for NI.

Contact: Jill Eagleson, Policy & Projects Officer, Northern Ireland Environment Link: jill@nienvironmentlink.org

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