Can the 2010 biodiversity target be met?

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment concludes that it is possible to achieve a reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss for certain components of biodiversity and in certain regions within that time frame – with appropriate actions as a prerequisite. It is thus our responsibility to make this happen.

However, a reduction in the overall rate of biodiversity loss is unlikely to be achieved by 2010. Indeed, current trends show no sign of a slowdown of biodiversity loss, and direct drivers of loss such as land use change and climate change are expected to increase further. Moreover, it can take many years for institutions to take actions and for the positive and negative impacts of human actions on biodiversity and ecosystems to become apparent.

By 2010, it is thus crucial to have all necessary structures in place to halt the loss of nature. 2010 will also be the milestone to review progress on the target and define follow-up work. Since changes take place over different time frames, longer-term goals and targets -say, for 2050 – are needed to guide policy and actions, in addition to short-term targets.