FAO Liaison Office with the Russian Federation

Preserving and Protecting Ecosystems: FAO at the ECUMENE Forum

23/09/2024

From 16 to 18 September 2024, Moscow saw the IV Global Ecumene Forum – a prominent platform for discussing key issues of long-term sustainable development of the global economy, harmonizing and improving the financial agenda, and developing new approaches to implementing the main tasks of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

On 17 September 2024, the session2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference of the Parties (COP16)’ at the ECUMENE Forum was addressed byEduard Porvatov, FAO national partnerships specialist.

The session moderator, Alexander Shestakov, addressed the FAO representative: “According to Goal 2 of the 2030 Global Framework Programme, 30% of degraded ecosystems worldwide should be restored. The UN General Assembly established the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration from 2021 to 2030. This timeline aligns with both the objectives of the Global Framework Programme and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). FAO and UNEP have been designated as lead organizations for coordinating the implementation of the Decade’s goals. What are the main priorities and key areas of work within the Decade? How does the FAO Liaison Office with the Russian Federation envision the implementation of the Decade’s tasks in the Russian Federation?”

Eduard Porvatov emphasized that among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), environmental protection goals – 13th, 14th, and 15th – are unfairly placed at the end of the list. The first four SDGs, which are fundamental to human well-being – combating poverty, ending hunger, ensuring healthy lives, and providing quality education – cannot be achieved without harmony with nature.

 

“Environmental degradation is already negatively affecting the well-being of 3.5 billion people, or 40% of humanity.” He noted that despite this, FAO is actively working to protect and restore ecosystems, which are one of the most important natural mechanisms providing food for humanity.

 

 

The FAO expert spoke about the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, the main goals of which are to support and scale up efforts to prevent, halt, and reverse ecosystem degradation worldwide.

 

“This year in the Russian Federation, at the initiative of the Commission on Ecology and Sustainable Development of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, with support from the FAO Liaison Office and the UNEP Russia Office, a National Committee for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration was established. It has been registered by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation as an autonomous non-profit organization. This initiative aims to ensure broad political and public support for ecosystem restoration activities in the Russian Federation and promote favourable conditions for investing in such projects.

 

In the Russian Federation, the National Committee will serve as a connecting hub where all stakeholders can find and suggest projects and partners, as well as acquire the knowledge necessary for successful restoration. This is similar to how the global secretariat of the Decade operates at the UN Office in Nairobi.

 

In this context, ecosystem restoration in the Russian Federation could include initiatives aimed at restoring already degraded ecosystems as well as activities focused on protecting untouched ones. The scale of this activity can vary from several hectares to hundreds of square kilometers, depending on the stakeholders involved and ecosystems concerned. In this regard, we invite our partners in the Russian Federation – namely relevant ministries, the private sector, academic institutions, research institutes, and all concerned individuals – to join this effort.

 

FAO and UNEP will continue their work to support the implementation of the Decade in the Russian Federation through the direction and activities of the National Committee established for this purpose. I am convinced that only through joint efforts and innovative approaches can we move closer to achieving the SDGs in accordance with FAO’s philosophy of ‘Four Betters’: better production, better nutrition, better environment, and better life, based on the principle of ‘leaving no one behind’,” he emphasized.

Baasanjav Ganbold, Head of the UN ESCAP Subregional Office for East and North-East Asia, noted in his video address that around one million species of animals and plants worldwide are threatened with extinction. He also emphasized that achieving the common goal of biodiversity conservation requires transboundary cooperation, as well as the sharing of knowledge and experience: “We are striving to improve our work on information exchange, monitoring, and creating partnerships with other organizations. This work is absolutely necessary not only to conserve the region’s biodiversity but also to help achieve global goals,” he stated.

“Among the directions of the UN Global Framework Programme that are important for the Russian Federation is the initiative on Arctic migratory birds. We have many nesting and migratory birds. Interaction and cooperation are crucial here, including with South-East Asian regions. It is essential to ensure a comfortable migration for these birds and monitor that they do not become targets for hunting,” said Nikolay Korchunov, Ambassador at Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. He also noted that a Strategic Plan of the Arctic Council was adopted in 2021, which includes a section dedicated to biodiversity.

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Assistant Secretary-General of the UN and Deputy Executive Director of UNEP, highlighted the urgency and interconnectedness of biodiversity issues in her video address: “Half of the countries in the world are facing a decline in the quality of drinking water and ecosystems, including rivers, lakes, and groundwater sources. Pollution of the planet is intensifying, and the resources of the world’s oceans are being depleted. Millions of species of plants and animals are at risk, which threatens the well-being of billions of people who depend on wildlife for food, energy, and income. These issues lead to natural disasters, economic instability, and food crises,” she stated.

 

Victoriya Elias, Conservation Programme Director at the Nature and People Foundation, touched on the issue of using global data. In particular, she cited the example of the World Database on Protected Areas from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre of UNEP – a specialized centre for biodiversity. “It is important to use global data because everything must be comparable, to update it in a timely manner, and to have the capability to conduct this work at the national level while participating in data updates without any restrictions.” She also called for adapting the global data system at the national level considering national tasks and specifics.

 

The discussion participants talked about which programmes and initiatives for biodiversity conservation could be implemented in the Russian Federation in accordance with the global goals and objectives of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which is set to last until 2050. Summarizing, the session moderator noted that action to preserve biodiversity needs to start right now and collectively.

 

The session was also attended by Aziz Abdukhakimov, Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan; Alexey Yaroshenko, Head of the Forest Programme at the Nature Conservation Association; and Olga Konovalova, Head of the Marine Research Centre at Lomonosov Moscow State University.