RESTORING 30% of ecosystems long converted to agriculture and other human needs could prevent 70% of predicted species extinctions and absorb half of the CO2 mankind released into the world. atmosphere since the industrial revolution, according to an ambitious plan to heal the planet published last Wednesday
But it would have to be the right 30% to get the maximum benefit, said an international team of experts in a study positioning itself as the scientific cornerstone of a crucial biodiversity summit in China. ‘next year
« Implementing restoration in priority areas would be a major contribution to overcoming the dual climate and biodiversity crisis, » lead author Bernardo Strassburg, director of the International Institute, told AFP for sustainable development and assistant professor at PUC-Rio University
Returning wetlands to their natural state would provide the best return on investment, both by preventing the loss of species and slowing the rate of global warming, study finds
Tropical forests are a second tier priority area, although all types of ecosystems – including temperate forests, savannas and scrublands – have a role to play
In total, the areas intended for restoration under the plan cover nearly nine million km2, roughly the size of Brazil
The study also examines the cost, concluding that focusing investments on key areas would be at least 10 times more profitable than randomly distributed efforts
The United Nations (UN) has called the 2020s the Decade of Ecosystem Restoration and many companies see the renewal of natural environments as a “handy fruit” much cheaper than technical solutions or technological, said Strassburg
« It all depends on whether countries will choose a green recovery path after the Covid-19 economic crisis, » he said
Global economic stimulus packages so far total several trillions of dollars, but some rely more on carbon-intensive inputs and infrastructure construction than others
So far, efforts to protect and restore nature on a global scale have failed dramatically The planet is on the cusp of a mass extinction event – only a sixth of the last half a billion years – in which species are extinct at 100 to 1000 times the normal « background » rate, most scientists agree
The United Nations Scientific Advisory Group on Biodiversity warned in a landmark report last year that one million species are threatened with extinction, mostly due to habitat loss and overexploitation As climate change takes place over the next few decades, the rate at which life forms disappear is likely to intensify
« It gets more difficult if climate change heads for worst-case scenarios, but our optimistic assumption is that we will stay on less pessimistic paths » in accordance with the 2015 Paris Agreement, which calls for a cap on global warming well below 2 ° C, Strassburg said
According to a United Nations assessment released last month, some 20 2020 targets under the Convention on Biological Diversity from 195 countries, designed to protect and restore nature – including slowing the loss of land ‘habitat – were all missed
Indeed, environmental degradation continues at a steady pace across a wide range of measures In 2019, a football field made up of primary and old trees was destroyed every six seconds – around 38,000 km2 in total, according to satellite data
As climate change takes place over the next few decades, the rate at which life forms disappear is likely to intensify
Returning farmland to the wild in a still hungry world and anticipating two billion more mouths to feed also raises the specter of food shortages
A slight increase in the rate of increase in agricultural productivity, a 50% reduction in food waste and a shift in the human diet of meat and dairy products would make the plan achievable, according to the study
The highest priority restoration targets are concentrated in the tropics and subtropics, especially Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Philippines, Vietnam, coastal areas of Kenya and Tanzania, Madagascar, in East Africa, from The Gambia to Nigeria, Brazil and Central America
is unfair and politically unfeasible, which is why scientists modeled a scenario in which all nations restore 15% of priority areas within their borders With respect to the optimal plan, the benefits to species and the climate change have been reduced by around 30%, while costs have increased by half
Researchers combined advanced mathematical modeling and mapping technologies to assess nearly 30 million km2 of ecosystems around the world that had been turned into farmland or pasture
More than half were originally forests, while a quarter were grasslands and 14% were shrubs Only 2% were wetlands – AFP
Biodiversity, ecosystem, nature, climate change
News from the world – United States – A great reward if nature is « restored » in the right places
