The 2010 Biodiversity Target was an overall conservation target aiming to halt the decline of

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic ('' genetic variability''), species ('' species diversity''), and ecosystem ('' ecosystem diversity'') ...

by the end of 2010. The world largely failed to meet the target.

History of the 2010 Biodiversity Target

It was first adopted by EU Heads of State at the EU Summit in Gothenburg, Sweden, in June 2001. They decided that "biodiversity decline should be halted with the aim of reaching this objective by 2010".Countdown 2010: The 2010 Biodiversity Target
, retrieved online 2009-05-16 One year later, the

Convention on Biological Diversity The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty. The Convention has three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity (or biodiversity); the sustainable use of its ...

's sixth Conference of the Parties adopted the Strategic Plan for the Convention in Decision VI/26. The Decision says "Parties commit themselves to a more effective and coherent implementation of the three objectives of the Convention, to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of

biodiversity loss Biodiversity loss includes the worldwide extinction of different species, as well as the local reduction or loss of species in a certain habitat, resulting in a loss of biological diversity. The latter phenomenon can be temporary or permanent, de ...

at the global, regional and national level as a contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all life on earth." The World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002 confirmed the 2010 Biodiversity Target and called for "the achievement by 2010 of a significant reduction in the current rate of loss of biological diversity". In 2003, Environment Ministers and Heads of delegation from 51 countries in the

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE or UNECE) is one of the five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. It was established in order to promote economic cooperation and ...

(UNECE) region adopted the Kiev Resolution on Biodiversity at the fifth Ministerial Conference "Environment for Europe" and decided to "reinforce our objective to halt the loss of biological diversity at all levels by the year 2010".Countdown 2010: What is the 2010 biodiversity target?
, retrieved online 2009-05-16 By the year 2006, the following nations have contributed extensively to establishment of individual Biodiversity Action Plans:

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

and the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

, called Species Recovery Plans in the USA.

Progress at the European Level

The 2004 Irish Presidency held a major stakeholder conference on the 2010 Biodiversity Target which resulted in a detailed roadmap to 2010 called the "Message from Malahide". At the same time, a number of organisations joined to launch the initiativ
Countdown2010
to support progress towards the 2010 Biodiversity Target. On May 22, 2006 the European Commission launched its Biodiversity Communication as an implementation tool to reach the 2010 Biodiversity Target.

Progress at the Convention on Biological Diversity

Subsequent

(CBD) decisions went on to specify indicators (see:

Biodiversity Indicators Partnership The Biodiversity Indicators Partnership (BIP) brings together a host of international organizations working on indicator development, to provide the best available information on biodiversity trends to the global community. The Partnership was init ...

) for immediate testing and for possible use, and to further develop work programmes for implementation of the target.

Challenges towards reaching the 2010 biodiversity target

This decision poses the question of how to measure the rate of biodiversity loss, in order to assess whether the target has been achieved by the nations who are party to the Convention.

References

{{reflist

External links

Countdown 2010
An alliance of organisations working together to reach the 2010 Biodiversity Target
Introduction to the 2010 Biodiversity Target

2010 Biodiversity Indicators Partnership

Decision VI/26

Biodiversity Synthesis Report
(PDF) by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA, 2005).
Global Biodiversity Outlook 2 (PDF)
A report by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (2006) which reviews progress towards achievement of the 2010 Biodiversity Target.
Nordic nature - trends towards 2010
Examples of Nordic contributions towards the international biodiversity target 2010. Biodiversity United Nations documents 2001 in international relations 2001 in the environment