ASEAN urged to back call to protect at least 30% of Earth's land, oceans
MANILA, Philippines — Environmental experts and community leaders called on the governments of the biodiverse Southeast Asia to endorse the proposal to protect at least 30% of the planet to help address biodiversity loss and mitigate the impacts of climate crisis.
A growing body of scientific research documents the need for increased spatial targets, with experts agreeing that a necessary interim goal is to achieve a minimum 30% protection of the world’s land and oceans by 2030.
Experts and leaders called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states to embrace the '30X30' target to address both the biodiversity and climate crises as well as advance the rights of indigenous peoples who are known as stewards of the Earth.
The '30x30' target was championed by the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People—an intergovernmental coalition of more than 60 countries. It was included in the draft strategy of the Convention on Biological Diversity as a global target.
So far, only Cambodia is a member of the coalition from the region. Other Asian members include Japan, Pakistan, and the Maldives.
What does this mean for the Philippines?
The Philippines is among the world’s megadiverse countries that are home to two-thirds of the Earth’s biodiversity. But it is tagged as a biodiversity hotspot with at least 700 threatened species.
The climate crisis is also exacerbating the archipelagic nation’s exposure to more frequent and extreme weather events, rising temperatures and sea level rise.
According to the Global Climate Risk Index released in January, the Philippines ranked fourth in the list of countries most impacted by climate-related catastrophes in the past 20 years.
"The 30x30 proposal is modest but it will give the Philippines (and all the countries of ASEAN that share the same characteristics and threats) some space to adapt especially to climate change," environmental policy expert Tony La Viña told Philstar.com in an email.
"To succeed in carving out 30% protected areas by 2030, that would require investment and interventions that would also be overall good for the economy and especially livelihoods," he added.
La Viña, a former environment secretary, said that while the government is "trying its best" to conserve and protect the environment, it is "getting overwhelmed" by climate change and policies that will lead to development aggression such as the lifting of moratorium on new mining operations as well as the Kaliwa Dam project.
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