SA helps achieve fair sharing of natural resources in global deal

The world is a step closer to fairly sharing natural resources following the UN global biodiversity summit, which ended in Montreal, Canada, this week. SA played a central role in negotiations on this decision at the two-week COP 15 summit.

Genetic material from biological resources have been exploited in products, such as medicines, teas and crops, but historically the benefits have not been equitably and fairly shared with the countries and indigenous people which are home to these riches.

“The establishment of a global mechanism for the sharing of benefits is welcomed,” said Albi Modise, spokesperson for the department of forestry, fisheries and the environment after the summit.

“SA stands ready to participate and share our experiences in the process to develop the mechanism,” said Modise.

“Benefit sharing” and “digital sequence information” are among 23 targets in the landmark deal for nature, which were adopted at the summit to rousing applause.

Director-general of the department of forestry, fisheries and the environment, Nomfundo Tshabalala, said getting the framework adopted and finding a solution on benefit sharing and resource mobilisation were critical strategic issues for South Africa — which made strides forward on all of them.

“The African group of nations is very clear that we have to be ambitious on resource mobilisation. We have to have the commensurate funding mechanisms to achieve the targets we are setting,” she said.

The Global South and wealthier countries clashed at the summit over the creation of a new global biodiversity fund. “A compromise was reached calling for the Global Environment Fund to further reform its operations to ensure adequacy, predictability and timely flow of funds,” Modise said.

“SA played a significant role in facilitating the strategy on resource mobilisation adopted to complement the implementation of the fund.”

The Kunming-Montreal post-2020 global biodiversity framework aims to halt and reverse the loss of animal and plant species and ensure the ecosystems on which people depend are used sustainably to 2030.

Measures to protect 30% of the world’s lands and oceans, and to restore degraded systems over the next eight years are among the concrete targets.

Protecting the rights of local and indigenous communities was another significant achievement of the framework.

The ambitious framework falls short on the “means of implementation, including resource mobilisation to close the financing gap of $700bn and capacity building, technology and technology transfer”, according to Modise.

South Africa is ready to align its national biodiversity priorities with the framework, with the support of partners, he said.

The adoption soon of the White Paper on Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biological Diversity and the revised National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan will be the next step.

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