FPCCI’s UBG group calls for protecting biodiversity in all areas of global economy

ISLAMABAD, Mar 12 (APP): The Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s United Business Group (UBG) Chairman Shahzad Ali Malik on Sunday called for urgent action to protect biodiversity and for member states to include biodiversity protection in all areas of the global economy.

Talking to a high-level delegation of leading environmentalists led by Vice Chancellor University of Okara Dr Sajid Rashid Ahmad Gujrain, he said biodiversity loss is a major factor that aggravates the planetary crisis together with climate change and pollution.

Driven by human actions under the influence of a development model that ascribes little value to preserving nature, the rapid loss of biodiversity could result in the extinction of up to a million species of animals and plants he added.

He said in the last half-century, more than 85 per cent of wetlands have been lost, while 75pc land and 66pc oceans have been significantly altered.

He said there is less attention and debate in Pakistan about the growing impact of the loss of biodiversity, and the way the country’s rich biodiversity is quietly vanishing under multiple pressures.

He said the “Aichi” targets contained commitments among other things to integrate biodiversity values into national and local Aichi targets contained commitments, among other things, to integrate biodiversity values into national and local development and poverty reduction strategies, eliminate or phase out subsidies harmful to biodiversity, reduce habitat loss, reduce pollution, increase and improve protected areas and mobilise financial resources from all sources for effective implementation of the strategic plan.

However, due to slow and erratic progress, none of the targets were fully achieved. Meanwhile, like a silent killer, biodiversity loss continued to inflict deadly damage on the intricate network of nature’s life support system on Earth.

Shahzad Ali Malik said all endeavours will require solid political commitment across the board to arrive at a comprehensive agreement for conserving ecosystems and habitats as well as ensuring the sustainable and equitable use of genetic resources. Concluding his talk, he said anything less will risk subjecting our fragile planet to deeper fissures.