COP10: Finally, a call for Ecological Restoration!

Nagoya, Japan
Keith Bowers, President, Biohabitats

I have now participated in the Convention on Biological Diversity, Conference of Parties 2010 (COP10) for three days.  On Monday we heard that the targets for stemming the loss of biodiversity have not been met.  In fact, we are losing more species now then when the Convention was signed in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro.  Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning we participated in working sessions on the strategic plan for the next ten years.  Embedded in the strategic plan is a statement that recognizes, and calls for, the inclusion of ecological restoration as a tool to conserve and restore biodiversity.

Finally!

With climate change, fresh water shortages, invasive species, the loss of keystone species and resource depletion, conservation alone can not stop the tide of species extinctions.  Restoration is needed, and needed fast.  Not only can restoration help to protect and restore biodiversity, it can help mitigate and adapt to climate change, improve people’s livelihoods and security, and give life back to degraded landscapes.  Why we think we can keep destroying biodiversity for short term economic gain is beyond me.  What do you think?