摘要：Nature is the foundation of civilization and humanity’s most powerful ally.From the air we breathe to the food we eat, our lives a

【图片/中国日报】

生物多样性保护刻不容缓

文章指出，自然是文明的根基，也是人类最强大的盟友。从呼吸的空气到享用的食物，我们的生活同自然界紧密相连，其他依赖自然生存的生物也是如此。

Nature is the foundation of civilization and humanity’s most powerful ally. From the air we breathe to the food we eat, our lives are inextricably linked with the natural world, and by extension, all other living things which, like us, depend on it for survival.

Natural habitats are not just home to countless species critical to maintaining the delicate balance of the planet’s ecosystems, but also act as carbon sinks, protecting us against climate change.Forests alone absorb nearly 16 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, while regulating global temperatures.

遗憾的是，从世界最深海洋到最高山脉，自然界面临着巨大威胁。生物多样性正在加速丧失，物种灭绝速度更是前所未见。

However, currently, around the world, from the deepest oceans to the tallest mountains, nature is under immense threat. Biodiversity is in serious decline, with species going extinct at a faster rate than any time in history.

Against this backdrop, the historic Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework — agreed to at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2022 under China’s presidency — paved a path to better safeguard the planet and promote coexistence with nature. It set 23 specific targets to be achieved by 2030, alongside four long-term objectives for 2050.

While some progress has been made toward achieving these goals, there is still much work to be done. Since 2020, for example, protected areas have increased by less than 0.5 percent globally.This leaves a land area roughly the size of Brazil and Australia combined, and at sea an area larger than the Indian Ocean, to be designated in order to meet the global target of protecting 30 percent of terrestrial, marine and freshwater spaces by 2030.

中国贡献有目共睹

Sustainably protecting the world’s increasingly fragile ecosystems will require significantly enhanced efforts and accelerated actions.To this end, China’s continued pursuit of an “ecological civilization” has been an important commitment. Indeed,during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, China has made significant strides by improving its natural resource management, establishing conservation systems, and strengthening legislation for protected areas, which currently account for 18 percent of the country’s landmass.

展望未来，我们需要在当前基础上加快行动步伐，进一步扩大保护区范围，以实现“昆蒙框架”设定的到2030年保护至少30%的全球陆地和海洋的目标。

Moving ahead, it will be critical to accelerate momentum by building on this work and further expanding conservation efforts to increasingly larger areas to reach the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s 30 percent target.

In doing this, we must recognize that biodiversity conservation goes hand in hand with climate action as two sides of the same coin. Healthy ecosystems provide some of our most effective nature-based solutions for both climate adaptation and reducing emissions. China’s announcement that its new national climate action plan to be submitted later this year will include all sectors of the economy and all gases is therefore a critical step, and presents an opportunity to synthesize efforts by including biodiversity as a key priority.

Another way to do this is through financing. Currently, there is a $700 billion annual funding gap to protect and restore nature.A nature-positive economy could generate more than $10 trillion in annual business value and create 395 million jobs by 2030.Realizing this, however, will require a reorientation of financial systems away from siloed funding vehicles, and toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals— our global blueprint to ensure the future of both humans and the planet. By adopting integrated financing mechanisms and approaches that comprehensively tackle development challenges, increasing resources can be unlocked for broader impact.

Similarly, the Kunming Biodiversity Fund announced by China in 2021,and launched last year, provides an international financing vehicle for developing countries to access additional funding needed to advance conservation efforts.

各国携手大有可为

However, further accelerating financing at the speed and scale needed will require global, collective efforts.To that end, the4th International Conference on Financing for Development in June will be a critical opportunity to unite countries around the worldin reforming domestic and international financing and catalyzing greater investments toward sustainability. It will also be an opportunity for large creditor countries to consider debt repurposing to free up more resources for protection of nature.

Finally, with the rapid emergence of revolutionary new technologies and cutting-edge digital tools, it will be critical to harness the transformative potential of these advancements and direct them toward development challenges, including biodiversity protection. Innovations like artificial intelligence offer ways to process vast amounts of environmental data, identify critical patterns and break down silos that have traditionally hindered conservation. UNDP has supported more than 50 countries in using AI to align national policies with global biodiversity goals.

At UNDP, we look forward to continue building on our decades-long partnership with China in strengthening biodiversity protection to advance progress on the SDGs and promote harmony with nature.

文章最后强调，我们仍然可以果断采取有意义的行动来保护地球。只是，时不我待，我们必须立即携手前行。面对前所未有的风险，我们要合力将雄心壮志转化为实际行动，为地球上的所有生命创造一个更具包容性、更加可持续的未来。在这个未来世界里，人与自然不仅能够和谐共生，而且都将蓬勃发展。

We can still protect the planet through meaningful, decisive action, but it must happen now, and it must happen collectively. The stakes have never been higher, but together we can and must turn ambition into impact to create a more inclusive and sustainable future for all life on Earth — one in which nature and humanity will not only coexist, but also thrive.

注1：标题万物共生是根据今年的主题：万物共生和美永续

注2：全球森林每年吸收160亿吨二氧化碳

注3：设立了到2050年的4个长期目标和到2030年的23个行动目标

注4：增长了不到0.5%

注5：到2030年保护至少30%的全球陆地和海洋。https://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2022-12/21/content_5732959.htm

注6：2030年前，仍需划定相当于巴西和澳大利亚面积之和的陆地，以及超过印度洋面积的海洋

注7：各级各类自然保护地占到陆域国土面积的18%

注8：基于自然的解决方案，这是一个专业术语，可能无法简化使用：

注9：中国将于联合国气候变化贝伦大会前，宣布覆盖全经济范围、包括所有温室气体的2035年国家自主贡献目标。

https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1830198723226200859&wfr=spider&for=pc

注10：全球保护生物多样性的资金缺口约7000亿

注11：到2030年，三大社会经济系统全面拥抱自然受益转型每年将释放价值10.1万亿美元的商机

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzAwMjA0MTUyNw==&mid=2247501877&idx=1&sn=d87f4d3f9d0dcde80214783d828d2abd&chksm=9ad2fbedada572fbb3938272b7123dea9307d633b6b7276917b5e6a215768c42d88660073a86&scene=27

注12：新自然经济系列报告II：自然与商业之未来

注13: 2021年成立，2024年启动

注14：强调6月开幕是因为会议是6月30—7月3日举行

注15：https://www.undp.org/publications/leveraging-artificial-intelligence-enhance-early-action-towards-kunming-montreal-global-biodiversity-framework

来源：联合国开发计划署一点号1