India to focus on ‘harmony with nature’ at COP15

India wants “living in harmony with nature” to be the overriding theme of the framework expected to be finalised at the United Nations summit on biodiversity to be held in Montreal in Canada between December 7 and 19 to halt the alarming extinction of species due to human activities, officials said on Monday.

The 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD), where parties denote 195 nations, is expected to devise a road map to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, which would then be reflected in national biodiversity strategies.

COP15 is being dubbed as the “Paris moment for nature” by experts, a reference to the landmark 2015 Paris climate pact where countries agreed to limit global temperature rise within 2 degrees Celsius compared with pre-industrial times and make efforts to keep it within 1.5 degrees.

India’s vision of “living in harmony with nature” promotes restoration and wise use of biodiversity, which can conserve as well as deliver benefits to the people.

“India has participated and engaged in four meetings of the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework held so far, and is also participating in its fifth meeting of the OEWG ongoing from December 3 to 5, 2022, in order to reach a consensus on the Framework,” an official of the environment ministry said, seeking anonymity.

“India is of the view that post2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) should help to address the current biodiversity related challenges and promote the three CBD objectives in an integrated manner,” he added.

Some of the contentious issues to be negotiated for the framework are the target to protect 30% of land and sea area by 2030; review and monitoring of implementation of targets under the framework; and how funding would be mobilised for developing nations to achieve targets.

Environment minister Bhupender Yadav will lead India’s delegation at COP15 in the second week of negotiations.

“Clearly, the world is crying out for change, watching as governments seek to heal our relationships with nature, with the climate,” Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, executive secretary of the CBD, said last month.

“It would be useful for India to address this core concern, through a popular discourse on the biodiversity act,” said Kanchi Kohli, legal researcher at Centre for Policy Research.