As scientific
warnings about the climate crisis become ever more urgent,
recognition is growing that protecting natural ecosystems is an
essential part of the solution. This one-day Summit will:
o highlight and
improve understanding of how natural ecosystems contribute to
mitigating the climate crisis;
o discuss the
role of terrestrial ecosystems in the global carbon cycle and carbon
storage, and the importance of biodiversity to ecosystem
resilience;
o analyse the
policy implications and review strategies and tools;
o galvanise
action on biodiversity and climate.
The Biodiversity
Summit 2009 takes place in the midst of important national and
international processes including –
o National Biodiversity Strategy. The draft has attracted
scathing criticism for being vague and ill-informed. The final version is due
November 2009.
o Environment
Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act review. The EPBC Act is Australia’s
national biodiversity legislation. The Act requires a
10-year independent review and the review panel is due to present its
interim report in
late June 2009,
followed by a 5-6 week comment period. The final report is due in
October 2009.
o
Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. Legislation has been
introduced and is due to be debated in the Senate in June 2009 and
implemented in July 2011.
The CPRS fails to make the connection between biodiversity
and climate change mitigation.
At this stage, it is highly likely that the legislation will
fail to pass the Senate or be delayed.
o
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change,
Copenhagen meeting of parties, December 2009. This conference is the
deadline for global agreement on emission reductions and mechanisms
for tackling climate change when the Kyoto Protocol expires in
2012. Negotiations to
reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation of tropical
rainforests (REDD) are a crucial part of the
process.
Next year, 2010, is designated the International Year of
Biodiversity by the United
Nations. The climate
crisis demands a transformation in biodiversity policy globally,
recognising its role in mitigation as well as the need for
adaptation. As we count
down to 2010, it would be fitting to embark on this fundamental
re-think in Australia, one of the most biodiverse regions on earth
and one of the most vulnerable to climate
change.
