Updated analysis of the contribution of targets established by parties and progress towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets
The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has released a document titled 'Updated Analysis of the Contribution of Targets Established by Parties and Progress Towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.' According to the publication, while CBD Parties have made efforts to adopt national targets in line with the Convention's Aichi Biodiversity Targets and have taken national action in support of the Targets, current progress and commitments are insufficient to achieve the Targets by 2020. Released as part of the documentation for the 13th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 13) to the CBD, to be held in December 2016, in Cancun, Mexico, the document reviews: National Biodiversity Action Plans (NBSAPs) submitted by countries to assess whether national targets are in line with the Aichi targets; and information contained in Parties' fifth national reports to assess progress towards achieving the Aichi Targets. The findings of the NBSAPs analysis include: 101 Parties have submitted their initial or revised NBSAPs; on average, less than 20% of national targets are commensurate with or more ambitious than the respective Aichi Targets; the majority of targets were less ambitious or did not address all aspects of the respective Aichi Targets; and many Parties have set targets that are more general than the Aichi Targets, often addressing several Aichi Targets with a single national target.