If people do not take action now to prevent species loss, the damage will very soon be irreversible, declared Chancellor Angela Merkel. That is why the One Planet Summit, which she attended on Monday, is an important step on the way to the UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP 15) in autumn 2021. It will focus on putting in place an ambitious framework to protect biodiversity after 2020.

Making 30 per cent of land and sea protected areas

The Chancellor declared that Germany would join the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (HAC). The coalition, initiated by France and Costa Rica, will work like Germany and the European Union to protect a minimum of 30 per cent of the planet (land and sea) by 2030. 50 states belong to the coalition. The areas that are most important in terms of biological diversity, are primarily home to indigenous groups. These areas and their inhabitants are at the greatest risk. The High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People also intends to mobilise additional public and private funding in order to ensure the long-term management of these regions as protected areas.

Sustainable financing for protected areas in developing countries

With the Legacy Landscapes Fund, Germany is also supporting the sustainable financing of important protected areas in developing countries and emerging economies, said the Chancellor. The German government will provide advance financing, and already paid in over 72 million euros in 2020. It encourages others to make a contribution too.

"For biodiversity and climate action, our forests are crucially important. We must act with all our strength to prevent any further deforestation," said Chancellor Angela Merkel. To protect tropical forests, Germany has provided five billion US dollars over the last five years, with Norway and the United Kingdom. Protecting forests also serves to protect human health, because people raise the risk of infection when they destroy forests and natural habitats. "We can only live really well on a healthy planet with healthy flora and fauna," said Angela Merkel.  

The One Planet Summit is an initiative of the French President, the United Nations Secretary-General and the President of the World Bank. The first One Planet Summit was held on 12 December 2017, two years after the Paris Agreement on climate change was adopted. The aim is to work together to build a more ecological future and to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.