World governments fail to deliver on 2010 biodiversity target
30 April 2010. World leaders have failed to deliver commitments made in 2002 to reduce the global rate of biodiversity loss by 2010, and have instead overseen alarming biodiversity declines. These findings are the result of a new paper published in the journal Science and represent the first comprehensive assessment of how the targets made through the 2002 Convention on Biological Diversity have not been met.
The study used more than 30 indicators, measuring different aspects of biodiversity, including species’ populations and risk of extinction, habitat extent and community composition. The indicators included in the study were developed through the 2010 Biodiversity Indicators Partnership, a collaboration of more than 40 international organizations and agencies, including IUCN. The results form part of the Global Biodiversity Outlook 3, the flagship publication of the Convention on Biological Diversity, to be released on 10 May in Nairobi, when government representatives from around the world meet to discuss the 2010 target and how to address the biodiversity crisis.
