ICIMOD Holds Webinar On Mountains In The Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Aug, 2021 ) :International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), an intergovernmental knowledge and learning center in eight regional members countries of Hindu Kush Himalayas organized a webinar on mountains in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.

According to a press release issued here on Thursday, the webinar titled as "Towards the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework: Retrospective reflection and setting priority actions for the mountains" was attended by Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) focal persons and high-level representatives from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan to share their success stories related to the targets achieved so far.

Delegates agreed on the need for urgent actions to sustain the fragile ecosystems of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) and the other sub-regions in Asia.

In his welcome remarks, Pema Gyamtsho, Director General, ICIMOD observed that 9 August is celebrated as the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples and stressed the need to recognize the roles that indigenous communities play in biodiversity conservation.

"The world's biodiversity hotspots are also centres of linguistic and cultural diversity. We have over 1000 living languages in the HKH, and they are a rich store of indigenous knowledge, he added.

Both the biological and cultural diversity of the region are threatened and today is a good day to remind ourselves of this impending loss.

He called on delegates to reflect on what has been achieved over the last decade and reorient the collective effort to identifying gaps and priorities to contribute towards the Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework.

In a special video message, Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the CBD, talked about how the world is reeling under a severe biodiversity crisis and how the COVID-19 pandemic has reaffirmed that biodiversity is fundamental to our survival.

Mrema said, "The importance of mountains is well known as they cover at least 22% of the world's land surface and provide habitat for about one billion people.

Additionally, half of the world's biodiversity hotspots are concentrated in the mountains, which support about 25% of terrestrial biodiversity. The Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework is our roadmap, and its implementation is a necessity for the future we want. The next 10 years will be most critical for our generation." The technical session of the webinar was led by Sunita Chaudhary, Ecosystem Services Specialist, ICIMOD who presented a regional overview on progress made against the Aichi Targets by the eight HKH countries.

The analysis shows commitment and varying levels of progress by HKH countries against the 20 Aichi Targets.

During the webinar's Q&A session, a panel discussion on priority actions for the Aichi Targets and the PoWMB provided a platform for CBD Focal Persons from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka to share their progress on the Aichi Targets.