illustrated by Anna Rose
World Migratory Bird Day --11 May 2024
Migratory birds are a wonder of nature. They also play an essential role in pollination and pest control, benefitting us as people. We need migratory birds, but what do they need? This World Migratory Bird Day, we focus on insects.
Insects are also part of the beauty of nature. They provide so many of nature’s contributions to people and are vital elements of the web of life. But as more and more grasslands and forests are falling victim to land use change, including intensive agricultural practices and urban development, insect populations are falling, sometimes dramatically. Harmful pesticides, climate change and light pollution also take their toll. The populations of migratory birds and other species then suffer too. Sometimes there is overpopulation of certain insets due to the lack of natural predators, causing pest outbreaks.
The ambitious Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, or The Biodiversity Plan, is our best chance to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity. Its four goals aim to protect and restore nature, to prosper with nature, to share benefits fairly, and to invest and collaborate for nature. These goals are supported by 23 action targets for 2030. Achieving these goals and targets is crucial to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Biodiversity Plan requires a whole-of-society approach – we all have a role to play.
Governments can put strong policies in place and reduce harmful incentives, repurposing subsidies towards activities that contribute to protecting, restoring, and making the use of nature sustainable, in line with Target 18 of the Plan.
Farmers can enhance agricultural biodiversity to help reduce the use of pesticides and the overuse of fertilisers, in line with Targets 7 and 10 of the Plan. They can also connect areas of natural vegetation which provide food and shelter for birds, insects and other species in agricultural landscapes.
Citizens can advocate for these changes and educate themselves and others on the effects of harmful agricultural practices. We can all take action -- for migratory birds, for insects and for our planet.
We can all be part of the Plan; The Biodiversity Plan.
More information:
Related Targets in The Biodiversity Plan
Reduce pollution risks and the negative impact of pollution from all sources, by 2030, to levels that are not harmful to biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, considering cumulative effects, including: reducing excess nutrients lost to the environment by at least half including through more efficient nutrient cycling and use; reducing the overall risk from pesticides and highly hazardous chemicals by at least half including through integrated pest management, based on science, taking into account food security and livelihoods; and also preventing, reducing, and working towards eliminating plastic pollution.
Why is this target important?
Pollution is one of the main direct drivers of biodiversity loss. Pollution can take various forms. However globally, pollution from nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, pesticides and highly hazardous chemicals and plastics has been found to have particularly harmful impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services.
Links to other elements of the Biodiversity Plan and other frameworks and processes
- Actions to reach Target 7 should take into account all of the considerations for implementation identified in section C of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
- Progress towards this target will help to reach Goal A of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. It will also help to reach targets 4 and 10. Conversely, progress towards targets 1, 11, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 will help to reach this target.
- Target 7 addresses issues previously considered under Aichi Biodiversity Target 8.
- Elements of Target 7 are also addressed in the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals, including targets 3.9, 6.3, 11.6, 12.4, 12.5 and 14.1.
- Target 7 also links to other international processes addressing pollution, including the World Health Organization, the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions and the ongoing discussions under Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution.
Ensure that areas under agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries and forestry are managed sustainably, in particular through the sustainable use of biodiversity, including through a substantial increase of the application of biodiversity friendly practices, such as sustainable intensification, agroecological and other innovative approaches contributing to the resilience and long-term efficiency and productivity of these production systems and to food security, conserving and restoring biodiversity and maintaining nature’s contributions to people, including ecosystem functions and services
Why is this target important?
Agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries and forestry are globally important production systems that have varying impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity. The variety and variability of animals, plants and microorganisms used in these systems is an important aspect of biodiversity. Further, in many countries, activities associated with these production systems are important elements of human well-being and economic activity. However, the increasing demand for food, fibre and fuel is leading to increasing losses of biodiversity and ecosystem services, making sustainable management in these systems an urgent requirement. On the other hand, sustainable management not only contributes to biodiversity conservation but can also deliver benefits to production systems in terms of ecosystem services such as soil fertility, erosion control, enhanced pollination and reduced pest outbreaks, as well as contributing to the well-being and sustainable livelihoods of people engaged in agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries and forestry activities.
Links to other elements of the Biodiversity Plan and other frameworks and processes
- Actions to reach Target 10 should take into account all of the considerations for the implementation identified in section C of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
- This target will contribute to the attainment of goals A and B of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Further progress towards this target will facilitate the attainment of targets 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 16. Conversely, the attainment of this target will be facilitated by actions to reach targets 1, 14, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23.
- Target 10 addresses issues previously covered by Aichi Biodiversity targets 6 and 7
- Elements of Target 10 are also addressed in the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals, including targets 2.3, 2.4, 12.1, 12.2, 14.7 and 15.2.
Click here for more information about Target 18
Identify by 2025, and eliminate, phase out or reform incentives, including subsidies, harmful for biodiversity, in a proportionate, just, fair, effective and equitable way, while substantially and progressively reducing them by at least 500 billion United States dollars per year by 2030, starting with the most harmful incentives, and scale up positive incentives for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
Why is this target important?
Incentives, including subsidies, harmful to biodiversity are an important underlying driver of biodiversity loss. Substantial and widespread changes to subsidies and other incentives that are harmful to biodiversity are required to ensure sustainability. Eliminating, phasing out or reforming harmful incentives is a critical and necessary step that would also generate net socioeconomic benefits. The creation or further development of positive incentives for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity would also help reach the 2050 Vision for biodiversity by providing financial resources or other motives to encourage actors to undertake actions that would benefit biodiversity.
Article 11 of the Convention calls, on Parties to adopt, as far as possible and as appropriate, economically and socially sound measures that act as incentives for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. The COP has recognized since its fifth meeting that implementing Article 11 needs to include action on those measures that generate incentives harmful for biodiversity; estimates indicate that harmful subsidies generate significant damage to biodiversity and that the amounts spent on these are substantially higher that those spent on positive incentive measures. Target 18 is therefore key to correct this unbalance and progressively align the incentives of economic agents with the objectives of the Convention.
Links to other elements of the Biodiversity Plan and other frameworks and processes
- Actions to reach Target 18 should take into account all of the considerations for implementation identified in section C of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
- Progress towards this target would help to reach goals A, B and D of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and would also help to make progress towards targets 5, 7, 9, 10, 16 and 19. Conversely, progress towards targets 14, 15, 20, 21, 22 and 23 would support progress towards this target.
- This target addresses issues previously addressed under Aichi Biodiversity Target 3.
- Elements of Target 8 are also addressed in the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals, including targets 12.c and 14.6.
