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Wildlife, plants and habitats around the world are at risk from new government funding announced today by Environment Secretary Therese Coffey at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15).
The UK will pledge around £30 million to help developing countries meet the ’30by30′ targets, which aim to protect 30 per cent of the world’s land and ocean habitats by 2030. This goal is supported by more than 100 countries globally. UK negotiators are driving to include it in the UN Global Biodiversity Framework being negotiated in Montreal this week.
Today’s funding announcement marks a major commitment to provide nations with the tools they need to protect fragile ecosystems and tackle some of the causes of habitat loss, such as deforestation, and unsustainable farming and fishing practices, and to protect endangered wildlife.
Environment Secretary Therese Coffey said:
At COP15 countries can put nature on the path to recovery with a strong global biodiversity framework that includes a commitment to see at least 30% of the world’s land and seas protected by 2030.
In support of this aim I am delighted to announce up to £29 million in funding for developing countries to meet the ’30by30′ targets and £5 million for projects which showcase the incredible work being done to study and restore nature across our network. foreign territories.
The UK is also today announcing funding to study and restore wildlife and plants under threat from climate change and invasive species in our overseas territories. The Darwin Plus scheme will support over 20 conservation projects in this unique and globally significant environment.
Projects benefiting from £5.79 million of new funding include:
- Using satellite technology to monitor seabird populations in South Georgia
- Threatened plants such as the Falkland rock cress and two bird species – the Cob’s wren and the tussock-bird – are reintroducing themselves to Falkland Islands wildlife reserves.
- Helping save endangered sea turtles on the Cayman Islands
- Measuring the impact of humpback whales on krill populations around South Georgia
The announcement was made as the next phase of negotiations at COP15, known as the high-level segment, brings together world leaders, international businesses and civil society to agree to reverse the twin challenges of nature damage and climate change.
The UK is leading a coalition of highly ambitious countries in negotiations seeking to secure a landmark global biodiversity framework that will end the global decline of species and help preserve the fabric of life on Earth.
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