NGO considerations over the proposed 30% goal for protected areas and absence of safeguards for Indigenous Peoples and native communitiesTo the Events to the CBD and the CBD Secretariat:
September 17, 2020
We’re involved in regards to the 30% goal within the ‘zero-draft’ World Biodiversity Framework (GBF) to:
“By 2030, defend and preserve by nicely linked and efficient system of protected areas and different efficient area-based conservation measures at the least 30% of the planet with the give attention to areas notably vital for biodiversity”.1
1 Whereas daring commitments are actually wanted to deal with local weather and biodiversity emergencies, we consider this goal is counterproductive and will additional entrench an outmoded and unsustainable mannequin of conservation that would dispossess the folks least accountable for these crises of their lands and livelihoods.
Our principal considerations are:
• The 30% goal is being set with no prior evaluation of the social impacts and conservation effectiveness of the earlier drive for 17% terrestrial protected areas (adopted by the Events to the CBD in 2010). Protected areas have led to displacement and eviction of Indigenous Peoples and different land-dependent communities, and introduced critical human rights abuses by conservation organisations and enforcement companies. Regardless of provisions within the present CBD framework and draft post-2020 GBF to incorporate ‘Different Efficient Space-Based mostly Conservation Measures’ in world conservation targets, expertise has proven that state-owned, strict protected areas have typically remained the default selection in a lot of the World South.
• Based mostly on unbiased research of the areas of ecological significance almost definitely to be put ahead as protected areas2, we estimate that as much as 300 million folks might be negatively and critically affected.
• The present draft GBF targets include no efficient safeguards to guard the lands, rights and livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples and different land-dependent communities in conservation programmes. This violates UN norms and worldwide legislation.
• The proposal fails to replicate the findings of the IPBES 2019 World Evaluation that present protected areas are “not but successfully or equitably managed” or the emphasis it positioned on the necessity to defend Indigenous lands.3
We consider that previous to the adoption of any new protected space targets:
1. The GBF should acknowledge and defend collective and customary land tenure methods and undertake robust enforceable safeguards for Indigenous Peoples and different landdependent communities that can apply to all new and present protected areas. These should adhere to worldwide human rights agreements and assure the rights to lands, sources, self-determination and free prior and knowledgeable consent. A plan needs to be adopted for the way they are going to be utilized to present protected areas, and a sturdy assessment mechanism established, earlier than any improve in protected areas is taken into account.
2. There needs to be an unbiased assessment of the effectiveness and social impacts of present protected areas so as to information new targets and norms within the post-2020 GBF.
3. An intensive examine needs to be carried out and printed on the potential for wider authorized designation and safety of Indigenous Peoples and different sustainable communitymanaged lands to supply the better conservation of biodiversity that’s sought underneath the post-2020 GBF. Topic to this, the GBF ought to replicate the precept that the safety and recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ and different sustainable communitymanaged lands would be the principal mechanism for attaining better biodiversity conservation in area-based efforts.
4. Scientific justification have to be given for the 30% goal. This should embrace an evaluation of local weather mitigation potential in addition to outlines of the place such areas are deliberate, what safety regimes will probably be utilized and what are the anticipated impacts on folks in these areas.
Thanks for contemplating these proposals.
1. The quoted language is drawn from the Draft monitoring framework for the post-2020 world biodiversity framework circulated prematurely of the twenty fourth assembly of the Subsidiary Physique on Scientific, Technical and Technological Recommendation: https://www.cbd.int/sbstta/sbstta-24/post2020-monitoring-en.pdf.
2. Schleicher, J., Zaehringer, J.G., Fastré, C. et al. Defending half of the planet may immediately have an effect on over one billion folks. Nat Maintain 2, 1094–1096 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-019-0423-y; RFUK (2020) The Publish-2020 World Biodiversity Framework – How the CBD drive to guard 30 p.c of the Earth by 2030 may dispossess thousands and thousands: https://www.mappingforrights.org/MFRresources/mapstory/cbddrive/300_million_at_risk_from_cbd_drive.
3. IPBES (2019) The worldwide evaluation report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Providers https://bit.ly/3fHBRcZ.
