SDG15 Saving, Sustaining all Species and their habitat and Post Pandemic Corrections needed, and Achieving SDG and going to Moon, Mars and Beyond

SDG15 Saving, Sustaining all Species and their habitat and Post Pandemic Corrections needed, and Achieving SDG and going to Moon, Mars and Beyond

Problems existing, aggravated or created by Pandemic with respect to SDG15: 1. IUCN founded in 1964, stands for International Union of Conservation of Nature and it publishes the Red List or Red Book or Red List of Threatened Species those are having risk of extinction some are on the verge of extinction even. • In its list in the year 2022, at present there are 142500 species on the Red list which have risk of extinction if humans do not take care of them by reversing the environmental damage: https://www.iucnredlist.org/about/background-history#:~:text=Currently%2C%20there%20are%20more%20than,mammals%20and%2013%25%20of%20birds. • More than 40,000 are on the verge of extinction, which includes: • 41% Amphibians, • 37% Sharks and Rays, • 34% of Conifers, • 33% of Reef Building Corals, • 26% Mammals, • 13% of the Birds, • 28% of Selected Crustaceans, • 21% Reptiles, and • 63% Cycads. • Species assessed as per their website https://www.iucnredlist.org/ 142577 and their target is making a list of 160000 species in their book “Barometer of Life”, so to make complete IUCN Red List 17423 species are left, to build a complete guide for the conservation of these species on the verge of extinction and to raise funding for this cause. 2. From 2000 till 2020 Humans lost 100 million hectares of forest though many countries like India grew some area under forest cover. 3. Progress to Safeguard Key Biodiversity areas has been stalled since last 5 years, i.e. since 2017, 4. Global Mean Percentage of Each Key Biodiversity Area covered by Protected Areas in the year 2021 are: • 43% Terrestrial • 42% Freshwater • 41% Mountain 5. As invasive Alien Species globally cause billions of dollars of damage every year so almost all the countries have adopted Legislation for Controlling or Preventing Invasive Alien Species SDG15 Targets and Indicators Target 15.1: Ensuring Fresh Water Ecosystems across the globe to be up to the mark, by 2020, in line with international agreements. • It needs Freshwater in the: • Wetlands, • Forests, • Mountains and • Drylands • To be • Conserved • Restored and • Sustained • Which are getting destroyed due to fast pace of human pollution or human encroachment or human activities like hunting, over fishing or land development Indicator 15.1: • Forest Area/ Area of the Nation, • Forest Area/ Total Land Area Indicator 15.2: Proportion of Fresh water and biodiversity area that is covered by protected area and type of the ecosystem Target 15.2: By 2020, Manage Forests in such a way that: • Sustainable management of: • All types of forests, • Deforestations, • Restore degraded forests, • Increase afforestation, and • Reforestation Indicator 15.2.1: Progress towards Sustainable Forest Management Target 15.3: By 2020, stopping desertification, deforestation and achieving land degradation neutral world: Indicator 15.3.1: Proportion of Land Degraded / Total Land Area Target 15.4: By 2030, ensuring mountain ecosystem and green cover and biodiversity required for the sustainable development • Indicator 15.4.1: Mountain Biodiversity protected area coverage • Indicator 15.4.2: Mountain Green Cover Index (MGCI) as per Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)= It’s Percentage of Mountains with Green Cover. Target 15.5: By 2020, Taking urgent Action: • To reduce degradation of natural habitat • Stopping the biodiversity loss • Protection be given to species on the verge of extinction • Indicator 15.5.1: Red List Index, Published by IUCN since 1996, in 7 categories: • Extinct (Ex) • Extinct in the wild (EW) • Critically Endangered (CR) • Endangered (EN) • Vulnerable (VU) • Near Threatened (NT) • Least Concerned (LC) • International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) also publishes the Species Threat and Abatement Restoration and Metric (STAR) Report. • They calculate over 5 X 5 square kilometres grid across the world, and they found that in each pixel from 100 the critically endangered species have gone to 400: • They also found that following are the causes for the reduction of species population: • i. Annual and Perennial Non Timber Crops, • ii. Logging and Wood Harvesting, • iii. Invasive and other Problematic Species, • iv. Livestock farming and ranching, • v. Residential and Commercial Development, • vi. Hunting and Collecting Terrestrial Animals, • vii. Natural System Modifications, • viii. Climate Change and Sever Weather, • ix. Pollution • x. Energy Production and Mining, • xi. Other causes • So we need to stop this killing of species or Species getting killed indirectly due to our actions and behaviour. • This experience will be useful when we expand to other dimensions on Moon, Mars and Beyond. Target 15.6: Equitable Share of Genetic Resources to appropriate entities with internationally agreed norms • Indicator 15.6.1: Number of countries those have adopted the legislative, administrative framework, for equitable sharing of genetic resources Target 15.7: Take Action to end poaching and trafficking of flora and fauna, by destroying the demand and supply and illegal wild life traffic of products, globally. • Indicator 15.7.1: Proportion of traded wildlife that was poached or illicitly trafficked Target 15.8: By 2020, Introducing the measures to control the invasive alien species on land or water ecosystem and eradicating the priority species. • Please note: Invasive alien species not belonging to the particular ecosystem might bring diseases and / or can grow faster and destroy the natural habitat, etc. as per the IUCN. • Indicator: 15.8.1: Proportion of countries adopting legal framework and resourcing to prevent and control the invasive alien species Target 15.9: By 2020, integrating Ecosystem and Biodiversity Values from national level to ground level to reduce poverty and for inclusive development • Indicator 15.9.1: • a. Number of countries those have adopted Aichi Biodiversity Target 2 of Strategic Plan of Biodiversity 2011-2020, and their Progress Report • b. Integrating Biodiversity with GDP via accounting and national reporting system and thus implementing Environmental-Economic Accounting • Now what is AICHI Biodiversity Target 2? • It has 5 (A, B, C, D, E) Goals and 20 Targets: • Goal A: Finding the cause of Biodiversity and Solutions to it and implementation by National and Local government: • It has 5 Target 1,2,3,4, 5, Target 2 talks about biodiversity should be incorporated into national accounting and reporting (Which is Mentioned Above) • Goal B: Reduce pressure on the biodiversity and achieve sustainability • It has 6 target 5, 6,7, 8, 9 and 10, they talk about reducing degradation and pollution. • Goal C: Improving Biodiversity and genetic diversity too by making ecosystem safer. • It has 11,12,13 i.e. 3 targets. • Goal D: Benefits of Biodiversity and Safer Ecosystem should reach at grassroot level • It has 14, 15, 16 i.e. 3 targets. • Goal E: Enhance the all-inclusive participation to improve implementation by Capacity building and Knowledge Management • It has 17, 18, 19, 20 i.e. 4 Targets and 20th talks about implementing the complete Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. Target 15.a: Mobilizing and Improving Financial resources for sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystem • Indicator 15.a.1: • a. Official Development Assistance for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity • b. Revenue Generated and Finance Mobilised from Biodiversity relevant economic instrument Target 15.b: Mobilising Resources and Finances to and reaching benefits of Biodiversity Conservation and Forest Management even to the Developing countries • Indicator 15.b.1: • a. Official Development Assistance on Conservation and Sustainable use of Biodiversity • b. Revenue Generated from Finance Mobilised from Biodiversity relevant Economic Instruments Target 15.c: Stopping Poaching, Illicit Trafficking of Forest Flora and Fauna by involving local communities and information sharing across the globe and providing proper opportunities for sustaining their livelihood • Indicator 15.c.1: Proportion of traded wildlife that was poached or illicitly trafficked. Dr. Ashish Manohar, Soulution Master, India