Protecting Earth’s fragile biodiversity takes spotlight at Armenia talks

Biodiversity losses continue to upend the lives of billions of people whose future prosperity depends on countries taking urgent action to protect our planet, the top UN official leading talks at the UN Biodiversity Conference in Yerevan, said on Monday.The aim of the talks in the Armenian capital is to assess progress so far and build on an agreed blueprint for biodiversity protection known as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted four years ago.“In 2022, 196 countries made commitments. But we are all accountable to each other and to future generations. What happens here in Yerevan matters. Billions of people whose lives are being upended by the impacts of biodiversity loss depend on progress being made here in the next two weeks,” said Executive Secretary of the UN Convention on Biodiversity, Astrid Schomaker.Tapping into indigenous ideasInsisting that “taking action for nature does work”, Ms. Schomaker called for the “untapped energy and ideas” of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, women and youth to contribute to the decisions made at the talks. “We need even greater engagement from cities, businesses and financial institutions…the science is clear....