Last December saw a landmark global agreement by 196 states to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. We are calling for action to deliver on this and other global nature commitments, and welcome new initiatives and finance announced at a WWF-backed event alongside the UN General Assembly. These include a €40 million German government contribution to a new fund that will help finance action against biodiversity loss, while commitments to protect over 250,000 sq km of waters around New Caledonia and Niue were also announced. It was great to see world leaders and civil society representatives signal their unified determination to act, but global efforts to tackle the biodiversity crisis must be urgently scaled up.
Attending the event (pictured centre) was WWF International Director General Kirsten Schuijt, who announced a €40 million investment from the Dutch government into the Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD). WWF is a partner in DFCD, which, so far, has mobilized over €1.3 billion for projects that will help secure climate-resilient livelihoods for up to 16 million people across Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Campaigning by a coalition of hundreds of civil society groups, including WWF, finally paid off last July when 193 UN member states recognized the universal right to a healthy environment. The prestigious 2023 United Nations Human Rights Prize has now been awarded to the coalition in recognition of their efforts, including gathering 1,350 endorsements from 75 countries and sharing over 30,300 online messages calling for a #HealthyEnvironmentForAll. The UN resolution is not legally binding on member states. But, together with partners, we are now pushing countries to enshrine the right to a healthy environment in national constitutions and regional treaties so that it delivers tangible benefits for people and the planet.
Photo: © Greg Armfield / WWF-UK
During a recent summit in Brazil, the governments of eight Amazon basin countries signed a declaration acknowledging the need for immediate action to prevent the Amazon rainforest from sliding into catastrophic destruction. We welcome this and the other progress made at the summit, such as the establishment of the Amazon Alliance to Combat Deforestation, the recognition of the territorial rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and the commitment to combat illegal mineral exploitation and related crimes. However, a unified goal to halt deforestation across all these countries remains elusive. The Amazon rainforest is a lifeline for over 300 million South Americans and serves as a habitat for 10% of the world's known species. So we remain dedicated to achieving zero deforestation of the Amazon and the preservation of 80% of its forests, wetlands and rivers by 2030. At a civil-society event (pictured), which took place before the summit, over 27,000 people discussed strategies for the region's future.
Photo: ©Jacqueline Lisboa / WWF-Brasil
Copper mining in the Lower Zambezi National Park will not be allowed thanks to a decision by the Zambian government. WWF and other members of the Save Zambezi, Safe Zambezi coalition have worked hard to highlight negative impacts, such as water pollution, that the copper mine would have caused. The effects on the Zambezi river would have been particularly severe, harming freshwater fisheries that are critical for food security and livelihoods of communities in Zambia and further downstream in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. WWF continues to work for the park’s people and nature, supporting sustainable investment in community livelihoods and the government’s ambition to have the park declared as a natural World Heritage Site.
Photo: © WWF
A new law has been agreed that will establish a new government institution to safeguard nature in Chile. WWF-Chile played a pivotal role in creating the National Biodiversity and Protected Areas Service, providing technical expertise and calling for its establishment alongside other civil society organizations over the past 12 years. The new service brings together conservation activities currently dispersed across several government institutions, including the administration of the country’s national system of protected areas. Ricardo Bosshard, director of WWF-Chile, said:“Having a robust, efficient and effective environmental institution is a critical need for the future of Chile and its sustainable, equitable and lasting development.”
Photo: ©Wild Chile / Nedo Producciones / Equilibrio / WWF-Chile
A historic decision has been taken by the government of Finland to remove nine hydropower dams, restoring the Paloki rapids and freeing up 1,500km of rivers and streams for endangered migratory fish. Nine rapids in Heinävedi in North Karelia have been dammed to produce small hydropower since 1961 − ruining the rapids and undermining the health and functioning of the waterways. The Saimaa's salmon has been particularly hard hit, with the blocking of migration routes and the destruction of key breeding grounds leading to a collapse in numbers of the critically endangered species. The removal of the dams, which do not contribute significantly to Finland’s energy needs, will help restore endangered salmon stocks but also benefit people and other wildlife in the area.
Photo: © Pekka Tuuri / WWF
We welcome news that the communities of Fiji’s Nadogo District, representing 22 traditional tribes, have united to declare Nukuvadra and Katawaqa islands as community protected areas and turtle sanctuaries. The islands are critical nesting sites for critically endangered hawksbill turtles, which are increasingly threatened by climate impacts such as severe storms, rising sea levels and increasing temperatures. WWF and partners have supported communities in their efforts to come together to protect their environment and take action to safeguard Fiji’s turtle populations. The tribes have a unique understanding of the delicate ecological balance in their ancestral lands and waters, and their significance for the future of hawksbill turtles.
Photo: © Tom Vierus / WWF-US
A survey of wild tiger numbers in Bhutan has revealed a welcome increase to 131 individuals – up 27% from the 103 recorded in the first systematic national survey back in 2015. Led by the country’s Department of Forests and Park Services with support from WWF and others, the survey took place in 2021-22 across 85% of the country. This population growth has been aided by efforts such as increased law enforcement, community-based tiger conservation programmes, habitat improvement and addressing conflict situations between people and wildlife. However, threats such as poaching and continued human-tiger conflict have not gone away and more action is needed to help tigers and people living in tiger landscapes coexist and thrive. In further good news, a new survey confirms a 39.5% increase in the country’s snow leopard population with 134 individuals counted.
Photo: © DoFPS
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