COP15: “We did it” — Kunming-Montreal biodiversity agreement signed

On this final day of the COP15 conference in Montreal, Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault announced that the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework agreement has been signed.

Guilbeault called the agreement “a historic deal to protect nature and biodiversity” and “a major win for our planet and all of humanity.”

The deal mandates the protection of a third of the planet for nature by 2030, with nations committing to targets for protecting vital ecosystems such as rainforests and wetlands and the rights of Indigenous peoples.

By signing on to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, nations have agreed to:

• Maintain, enhance and restore ecosystems, while preventing species extinction and maintaining genetic diversity
• Ensure the sustainable use of biodiversity, ie. that species and habitats maintain the services they provide for humanity, such as producing food and clean water
• Ensure that the benefits of natural resources such as medicinal plants are shared fairly and equally while protecting Indigenous peoples’ rights
• Ensure that money, resources and conservation efforts for biodiversity get to where they’re needed.

COP15 brought world leaders together in Montreal for the past two weeks to focus on preserving the world’s ecosystems.

We did it. The world has come together to land a historic deal to protect nature and biodiversity.

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework is a major win for our planet & all of humanity.

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— Steven Guilbeault (@s_guilbeault) December 19, 2022

For more on COP15, please click here.

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