Statement by international science advisors in advance of COP 15

The ISC endorses the COP 15 International Science Advisors Statement, signed by advisors from 25 countries or organizations and released by the Office of the Chief Science Advisor to Canada, and calls on governments and other stakeholders to: 

• commit to the post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework; 
• invest immediately in actions for which there is compelling evidence of beneficial effects on biodiversity; 
• implement robust, transparent, scalable, replicable, and effective mechanisms for biodiversity monitoring that meet international standards; 
• recognize that solutions to biodiversity loss are necessary and effective at local scales, and coordinate action at local to international levels, with particular focus on empowering equitable and inclusive action on biodiversity  conservation, restoration, sustainable use and benefit sharing; 
• foster innovation through weaving diverse knowledge systems;  
• engage the public by working with domestic and international partners to develop and deploy inclusive strategies for raising public awareness. 

ISC President Peter Gluckman said:

“Biodiversity loss and the decline of ecosystem services is putting people’s lives, livelihoods and wellbeing at risk. The ISC endorses the call from science advisors worldwide to governments, urging them to commit to the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework by ramping up investment and action to halt biodiversity loss, informed by scientific evidence on what works.

Trusted scientific advice can support the design, operationalization and assessment of progress towards biodiversity targets, and the GBF should explicitly recognize the role of science. It’s time for a critical shift in how we understand and value nature.”

Download the COP15 International Science Advisors’ Statement here.

COP 15 will begin on 7 December 2022. Ahead of the meeting, find out about all of the ISC’s activities at COP 15 and read ten key messages from the scientific community here.

Image by Jamshed Khedri on Unsplash