SDGs Goal 15 Life on Land
SDGs Goal 15 is "Life on Land" - Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
Life on Land
SDGs Goal 15 is “Life on Land” - Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Human activity has altered almost 75% of the earth’s surface, squeezing wildlife and nature into an ever-smaller corner of the planet.
Around 1 million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction – many within decades.
Deforestation and desertification – caused by human activities and climate change – pose major challenges to sustainable development and have affected the lives and livelihoods of millions of people.
What’s been suggested?
Goal 15 Life on Land has got the following 12 targets (https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/biodiversity/).
15.1 By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements
15.2 By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally
15.3 By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world
15.4 By 2030, ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in order to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development
15.5 Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species
15.6 Promote fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and promote appropriate access to such resources, as internationally agreed
15.7 Take urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna and address both demand and supply of illegal wildlife products
15.8 By 2020, introduce measures to prevent the introduction and significantly reduce the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems and control or eradicate the priority species
15.9 By 2020, integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies and accounts
15.A Mobilize and significantly increase financial resources from all sources to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity and ecosystems
15.B Mobilize significant resources from all sources and at all levels to finance sustainable forest management and provide adequate incentives to developing countries to advance such management, including for conservation and reforestation
15.C Enhance global support for efforts to combat poaching and trafficking of protected species, including by increasing the capacity of local communities to pursue sustainable livelihood opportunities
Why that’s important?
The link above also had got a brief report Why It Matters
Forests are repositories for most of the world’s biodiversity, covering 4.1 billion hectares of land (31% of our planet’s land area). They help regulate the water cycle, mitigate climate change and are a direct source of food, income, shelter and energy for some 1.6 billion people.
Forests are home to more than 80% of all terrestrial species of animals, plants and insects. However, biodiversity is declining faster than at any other time in human history.
Lost forests mean the disappearance of livelihoods in rural communities, increased carbon emissions, diminished biodiversity and the degradation of land.
How far are we?
In addition to “Why It Matters” above, Progress and Info is updated for each year and Sustainable Development Goals Report shows the key points of the latest situation and prograss related to Goal 15.
The Red List Index of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which monitors the overall extinction risk for various species, shows a 10% decline since 1993.
Among 134,400 species assessed, 28% (more than 37,400 species) are threatened with extinction, including 41% of amphibians, 34% of conifers, 33% of reef-building corals, 26% of mammals and 14% of birds.
The protection of key biodiversity areas (KBAs) has long been considered a cornerstone of biodiversity conservation. In 2020, on average, 43% of each terrestrial KBA, 42% of each freshwater KBA and 41% of each mountain KBA were within protected areas, an increase of around 13 to 14% since 2000.
Although the rate of decline has slowed, the loss of forests globally remains alarming. The proportion of forest area fell from 31.9% of the world’s total land area in 2000 to 31.2% in 2020.
…Again, I will read studies and reports relevant to this goal and keep updating this post or even write an individual post for each subtopic!