One million species on brink of extinction : Cayman News Service

Green sea turtle

(CNS): More than one million species of plants and animals, from orchids to turtles, are on the brink of extinction, according to a new report based on the work of an international team of scientists, which warns of an acceleration in species extinction rates that are already unprecedented in human history. Without transformative change to restore and protect nature, the experts warn there will be a “grave impact on people”. The news comes as the Cayman Islands Government is seeking to water down the National Conservation Law to allow more development — exactly the opposite of what is required to prevent a global catastrophe.

The landmark report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) sets out a stark future unless serious action is taken to reverse the trend. It is described as the most comprehensive report ever completed, compiled by 145 expert authors from 50 countries over the past three years, with inputs from another 310 contributing authors.

A summary of the report, which was released Monday, states that the average abundance of native species in most major land-based habitats has fallen by at least 20%, most of which has happened since 1900. More than 40% of amphibian species, almost 33% of reef forming corals and more than a third of all marine mammals are threatened. It also warned that 66% of the marine environment has been significantly altered by human actions.

Despite these realities, as well as preparing to gut the conservation law the Cayman government wants to contribute to further destruction of our marine habitat with the planned cruise berthing project.

“The overwhelming evidence of the IPBES Global Assessment, from a wide range of different fields of knowledge, presents an ominous picture,” said IPBES Chairman Sir Robert Watson in a press release about the new report. “The health of ecosystems on which we and all other species depend is deteriorating more rapidly than ever. We are eroding the very foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide.”

The report indicates that it is not too late to make a difference if people act locally and globally.

“Through ‘transformative change’, nature can still be conserved, restored and used sustainably – this is also key to meeting most other global goals,” Watson added. “By transformative change, we mean a fundamental, system-wide reorganisation across technological, economic and social factors, including paradigms, goals and values.”

But the panel is well aware of the opposition that will come from those with interests vested in the status quo, which must be overcome for the broader public good.

Based on the systematic review of about 15,000 scientific and government sources, the report also draws (for the first time ever at this scale) on indigenous and local knowledge, particularly addressing issues relevant to indigenous peoples and local communities.

“Biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people are our common heritage and humanity’s most important life-supporting ‘safety net’. But our safety net is stretched almost to breaking point,” said Prof. Sandra Díaz (Argentina), who co-chaired the Assessment with Prof. Josef Settele (Germany) and Prof. Eduardo S. Brondízio (Brazil and USA). “The diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems, as well as many fundamental contributions we derive from nature, are declining fast, although we still have the means to ensure a sustainable future for people and the planet.”

Settele warned that ecosystems, species and wild populations are vanishing. “The essential, interconnected web of life on Earth is getting smaller and increasingly frayed… This loss is a direct result of human activity and constitutes a direct threat to human well-being in all regions of the world,” he said.

The report warns that global goals for conserving and sustainably using nature and achieving sustainability cannot be met by current trajectories and the loss of biodiversity is not only an environmental issue, but a developmental, economic, security, social and moral issue too.

Brondízio said drivers include population growth and per capita consumption; technological innovation, which in some cases has lowered and in other cases increased the damage to nature; and issues of governance and accountability.

The report has also identified the evolution of global financial and economic systems to build a global sustainable economy, steering away from the current limited paradigm of economic growth, as a key element of more sustainable future. This was raised by Prince Charles during his visit to the Cayman Islands when he called on our offshore sector to be innovative and come up with ways to adapt the financial system to a greener economy.

For more information and to read the report, visit the IPBES website.

This content was originally published here.

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