South America identifies priorities for biodiversity
22 May 2009, Lima (Peru). High-level representatives of 12 countries and organizations of South America and Europe gathered in Lima, Peru, to assess the situation of biodiversity in South America and to discuss the future of the 2010 target. It was revealed that the current situation in the region is not good and that major efforts are needed to curb the loss of biodiversity. Our economy, health, food, industry, tourism and any form of life or development strongly depend on biodiversity.
“We should not deceive ourselves ! We are losing biodiversity” stated Freddy Ehlers, Secretary General of the Andean Community (CAN) which represents Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. “Our lifestyle not only destroyed our biosphere, but also our psychosphere, what is inside us”. “We want to live better: better than whom? Better than what? Better than when?”. According to Ehlers, we must think of a new model in which there is harmony between man and nature. “Living better implies a permanent voracity with no limits which will eventually lead to our destruction. Our goal should not to be to live better, but well”.
María Luisa del Río, Director General for Biodiversity at the Ministry for the Environment of Peru, underlined that “we cannot think and take actions as if we lived in a homogenous World. We are heterogeneous in climate, diverse in species, in languages, in ethnic groups , in cultural expressions. Our challenge is to find a common expression, a union within biodiversity, as biodiversity means health, food, shelter, industry, tourism and it is our raison d’etre”South America is a key region with 40% of biodiversity, 25% of forests and 26% of freshwater renewable sources of the entire World. For this reason, governments of countries, such as Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru are committed to the 2010 biodiversity target. Yet, reaching it is not only governments’ responsibility.
Sebastian Winkler, Head of Countdown 2010, stated that “we need to ensure that biological diversity is integrated into the decision-making process of all governmental departments and all sectors of society and economy”.
At the meeting “Cuenta Atrás 2010: aportes y desafíos desde América del Sur”, participants highlighted the importance of systematically monitoring the developments and limitations towards the 2010 target and the active participation of other sectors which have been kept aside from discussions on sustainable use of biodiversity.
David Cooper, representative of the CBD Secretariat recalled two concrete actions which initially contributed to the implementation of the CBD and therefore of the 2010 target: the conclusion and approval of strategies and action plans on biodiversity and the development of Regional Strategies for Biodiversity by the Andean Community.
The meeting which took place at the Secretariat General of CAN, laid the foundation for further discussion on post-2010 target(s). the future priorities for action in South America to halt biodiversity loss in the planet are: increased communication and participation and preparation to report back in 2010. Read the text of the Lima Declaration (Spanish).
