Biodiversity plays a crucial role in maintaining the balance of ecosystems and supporting the well-being of all living organisms.
As annually, today, Monday, May 22, 2023, marks International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB), it is a reiteration of the quest to save the environment. This year’s is themed; “From Agreement to Action: Build Back Biodiversity” This theme builds up on the results of COP 15 to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
With the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) (agreement) readily made available, the focus must quickly shift to its implementation(action). The GBF contains four visionary goals; (Goals A-D) for 2050 and 23 interim targets for 2030 to preserve and restore nature, protect biodiversity, and prevent extinction of species.
A Rocha Ghana, an environmental NGO looking at a seven-year target by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) expects that amongst the 23 targets, at least 30% of areas of degraded terrestrial, inland water, coastal, and marine ecosystems are under effective restoration, is saying that though the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has pledged full commitment to protecting and preserving the biodiversity for a healthy planet, contradictory policies and legal frameworks are derailing needed consistent action to secure forests and biodiversity in Ghana.
Legal frameworks such as the ‘Nicodemus’ passing of L12462 which grants mining access to all forest reserves in Ghana. This they say is a “nail in the coffin for our forest and biodiversity in Ghana.
Reflecting on the theme “From Agreement to Action” they have put together some interventions that are crucial to saving what is left of our Biodiversity in the document here.