A growing global push to safeguard nature by pledging to protect about one-third of the planet’s land and oceans by 2030 could fall short unless biodiversity-rich Southeast Asian nations get behind the ambitious proposal, environmentalists have warned.
Leaders of the wealthy G7 nations last month backed a coalition of about 60 countries that have already promised to conserve at least 30 percent of their land and oceans by 2030 (called the 30x30 plan) to curb climate change, and the loss of plant and animal species.
Cambodia is the only Southeast Asian nation to have signed up to the goal so far, although it has been endorsed by countries in other parts of the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan, Pakistan and the Maldives.
Illustration: Mountain People
Brian O’Donnell, director of the US-based Campaign for Nature, which is calling on world leaders to back the pledge, said it was “very important” to get governments in ASEAN on board.
“Given the incredible biodiversity in the region, much of which is facing pressure, ASEAN countries are a key voice to support 30x30,” O’Donnell said.
Southeast Asian countries cover just 3 percent of the Earth’s surface, but are home to three of the world’s 17 “megadiverse” countries — Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, the Campaign for Nature said.
These “megadiverse” nations have been identified by conservationists as being the richest in species, in a bid to raise awareness and spur protection efforts.
Southeast Asia’s land and oceans contain 35 percent of mangrove forests and 30 percent of coral reefs, while more than 2,000 animal and plant species have been discovered in the region over the past two decades.
The region is also home to about 18 percent of the world’s endangered species, the Campaign for Nature said.
In Indonesia, for example, the Rawa Singkil Wildlife Reserve is a high-priority conservation area and critical wildlife habitat, dubbed the “orangutan capital of the world,” while endangered pygmy elephants live in the rainforests of Borneo.
However, several ASEAN countries are experiencing high deforestation rates, with Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos and Cambodia among the top countries for
primary forest loss, the monitoring service Global Forest Watch said.
NEW GLOBAL ACCORD
The 30x30 goal is included in the draft text of a new global treaty to protect the planet’s plants, animals and ecosystems, due to be agreed upon at an Oct. 11 to 24 summit in China, officials at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) said.
However, much of Southeast Asia is battling to contain a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, with new restrictions, business closures and attempts to rapidly scale up vaccinations.
The crisis has rightly become a higher priority for policymakers than nature conservation, said Ravi Sharma, a former CBD director, adding that regional talks had also been disrupted.
Yet research shows that maintaining intact ecosystems can help avert future infectious disease outbreaks, Ravi said.
Investing in nature and adopting policies for a green COVID-19 recovery could generate 395 million jobs and about US$10 trillion in business opportunities by 2030, the World Economic Forum said.
However, the economic benefits of biodiversity conservation are not yet clear to all of Southeast Asia’s political leaders, many of whom are relying on natural resources to lift their people out of poverty, environmental groups say.
Malaysia and Indonesia are the top two producers of palm oil, the world’s most widely used edible oil, which environmentalists blame for forest destruction.
“ASEAN countries are conscious that the actions needed for 30x30 would have economic implications as well as costs for implementation,” said Tony La Vina, a prominent Philippine environmental lawyer.
“These fears have a basis, but can be overcome once they realize the long-term economic and development benefits of the goal, as well as identify the opportunities [it] would open up in terms of conservation and sustainable livelihoods,” he said.
A delay in Southeast Asian nations backing the 30x30 target could be a tactic to secure more funding from richer countries to invest in nature, conservationists said.
A key part of the pledge is to respect the rights of indigenous groups and communities living in protected areas, many of whom play a vital role in conservation, O’Donnell said.
Southeast Asian countries have developed innovative nature projects involving local communities, and by joining the 30x30 group, they could lead that work, he said.
The best incentive for them would be if the proposal included payments to local communities and indigenous peoples for looking after their natural environment, La Vina said.
GREEN GRABBING
Biodiversity loss is directly linked to how rich nations have benefited economically from exploiting nature, and so they bear a greater responsibility for fixing the problem, said Arie Rompas, a forest campaigner at Greenpeace Indonesia.
Yet even ASEAN governments have often overlooked indigenous communities when pursuing economic growth, and have not done enough to guarantee their land tenure and other rights, he said.
The 30x30 goal appears to have been developed without adequate consultation of indigenous and other local communities, Rompas said.
International conservation efforts have a history of failing to recognize or address problems such as “green grabbing,” where land used by local people is set aside and might become off limits to them, said Amber Huff, a researcher at the UK-based Institute of Development Studies.
The global biodiversity and climate crises require action, but proposed solutions must tackle the root causes and accept that people can and do live sustainably alongside nature while making use of it for their livelihoods and wellbeing, she said.
“Plans like the blanket 30x30 initiative will rob indigenous peoples and rural farmers, foragers and fishing communities around the world of their lands and livelihoods in the name of environmental ‘restoration,’” Huff said.
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