Summary
On Tuesday, participants to the Trondheim Conference on Biodiversity heard opening statements and keynote presentations; discussed the key findings of recent global, regional, and thematic assessments, and their implications for the development of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework; and held roundtable discussions on possible pathways to achieve the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity on "Living in harmony with nature."
Henrik Olsen, Saami Parliament, underlined the relevance of traditional knowledge for the entire society, and called for indigenous peoples' involvement in all biodiversity-related processes. Ola Elvestuen, Minister of Climate and Environment, Norway, called for system-wide transformative change to halt the global decline of nature. Maria Claudia Garcia, Vice Minister of Environmental Policies and Normalization, Colombia, announced that Colombia will host the third session of the Open-ended Working Group of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on the post-2020 framework in July 2020. Siti Nurbaya Bakar, Minister of Environment and Forestry, Indonesia, highlighted biodiversity conservation efforts in her country. Zhai Qing, Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment, China, invited active participation in the “Sharm El-Sheikh to Kunming Action Agenda for Nature and People” towards a realistic post-2020 framework echoing and reinforcing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Cristiana Paşca Palmer, CBD Executive Secretary, stressed the need to scale up financing for nature-based solutions and urged towards focusing on transformative solutions. Anne Larigauderie, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), drew attention to IPBES work to build the knowledge base, and its contribution to inform transformative change and achieve simultaneously SDGs related to food, climate, health, water, and biodiversity. Johan Rockström, University of Potsdam, presented on the interconnected biodiversity and climate challenges. Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UN Environment Programme, stressed that ecosystems are a key ingredient for achieving the SDGs in a world of climate change, and called for a paradigm shift, including through engaging other sectors.
The session on recent assessments and their implications for the post-2020 framework featured presentations on:
- the IPBES Global Assessment on biodiversity and ecosystem services;
- the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels;
- the report on the State of the World's Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO);
- the Global Resources Outlook 2019 by the International Resource Panel; and
- the World Ocean Assessment from the Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment.
Following the opening session of the Trondheim Conference, a high-level meeting with invited guests was held in parallel. Hosted by Ola Elvestuen, Minister of Climate and Environment, Norway, the meeting focused on the post-2020 framework. It included sessions on biodiversity financing and implementation of the post-2020 framework, and a roundtable multi-stakeholder dialogue on ambitions and actions. In the evening, participants to a high-level dinner discussed issues related to reducing deforestation from globally traded agricultural commodities.