Germany joins international biodiversity coalition

Germany is joining the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced at the One Planet Summit for biodiversity in Paris. The coalition, initiated by France and Costa Rica, aims to protect or conserve at least 30 percent of the world’s land and oceans by 2030. “Forests are of prime importance for biodiversity and climate action, and we have to put all our efforts into preventing further deforestation,” Merkel said during the summit. The chancellor emphasised that the risk of infection with pathogens is increased when natural habitats are destroyed. “If we really care about our health, we need to resolutely protect nature and biodiversity,” Merkel said. For financing the protected areas, Germany supports developing countries and emerging economies through the Legacy Landscapes Fund, Merkel said.  

At the summit, President Emmanuel Macron of France promoted a project that aims to plant a “green ribbon” of thousands of kilometers of trees in the Sahel desert in Africa, Der Spiegel reported. This ‘Great Green Wall’ is intended to halt desertification in the area, which is particularly affected by climate change, and thus protect the region from famine and drought. Macron did not specify the sum to be invested, but billions of euros are expected to be needed to support the project, Der Spiegel said.

The One Planet Summit kicks off a year of important climate summits, including the UN Convention on Biodiversity (COP15) in Kunming, China, in May and the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, UK, in November 2021.