CBD COP 10 Opens; 2010 Biodiversity target not met

Pacific Voyage Media Team

18 October Nagoya, Japan - The world has failed to meet the 2010 target to halt the loss of biodiversity.  In acknowledging this at the opening ceremony of the 10^th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the President of the CBD COP 10 Mr. Ryu Matsumoto looked back to 1992 at the birth of the CBD.

H.E. Mr. Matsumoto, the Minister of the Environment of Japan recalled the challenge made by a young girl Ms. Severn Suzuki who became known as the “young lady that silenced the world for 5 minutes”.

In her address to those at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, Ms. Suzuki challenged – “If you don’t know how to fix it, please stop breaking it.”  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZsDliXzyAY)

10 years later after this passionate plea from Ms Suzuki to world leaders, a target was set to achieve a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss by 2010.

The President of the CBD COP 10 Mr. Ryu Matsumoto

“However, based on the result of the 3rd edition of Global Biodiversity Outlook, which was released in May this year, we were unable to achieve the target, and could not make the girl’s hope come true,” said Mr. Matsumoto.

“Moreover we are now close to a “tipping point,” that is, we are about to reach a threshold beyond which biodiversity loss will be irreversible, and may cross that threshold in the next 10 years, if we do not make proactive efforts for conserving biodiversity.”


Over 15,000 participants representing the 193 Parties to the Convention and their partners are meeting over the next two weeks in Nagoya, Japan to try and resolve the problems facing global biodiversity.

The Pacific islands consist of 21 island countries and territories and has a total land mass of 550,500 sq. km. that spans 30 million sq. km. of the Earth’s surface.  It is home to more endemic species than anywhere else on Earth and contains a quarter of the world’s endangered birds.  90% of the land is held in traditional ownership and the biodiversity of the region has not only helped design traditions and shaped Pacific culture, it is also the source of livelihoods for Pacific people.

A solution to help save the biodiversity of the world is crucial to sustain the livelihoods of Pacific communities and the CBD COP 10 features an important role in bringing this about.  A new strategic plan on biodiversity for 2011 – 2020 with a biodiversity vision for 2050 is on the table.

“The meeting should agree on a new global target which is ambitious and realistic.  Then, every Party to the Convention should make their best efforts to attain the newly agreed target on biodiversity.”

The opening ceremony of the CBD COP 10 in Nagoya, Japan is the official start of the conference which ends on 29 October.  There are 14  Pacific island countries attending – The Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji,  Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

A story on the new Biodiversity target will be featured on this site.