COP15 biodiversity talks start in Canada

Delegates from more than 190 countries and regions are discussing ways to protect biodiversity at a UN conference in Canada. Their aim is to agree on a new framework with goals set for 2030.

The 15th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, known as COP15, opened in Montreal on Wednesday.

The COP15 talks had been scheduled to take place in China in 2020, but following coronavirus pandemic-related delays, the United Nations moved the conference to Canada.

Participants aim to adopt a new biodiversity framework to replace one adopted at a 2010 conference in Aichi, Japan.

The main focus of the negotiations is the “30 by 30” goal, which aims to conserve at least 30 percent of the Earth’s land and oceans by 2030.

Participants will also discuss funding for the conservation initiative, and the responsibilities that companies should fulfill to protect biodiversity.

COP15 is scheduled to run through December 19. Attention is focused on whether member countries and regions can agree to adopt an effective new framework that will lead to the recovery of biodiversity, despite conflicts of interest.