The protection of biodiversity in the new global agreement post-2020

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the Proposal for a Regulation on Nature Restoration (PRNR) of the European Parliament and the Council published on June 22, 2022, which brings proposals for legally binding targets on nature restoration, within the context of a new post-2020 legal framework for biodiversity protection. The research is made based on the European Ecological Pact and its contribution to climate change mitigation, specifically its EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 (EBIO), as well as from the assessment of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Aichi Targets and what has been discussed for the COP-15. Then, the coordination between the EU biodiversity governance framework and the post-2020 framework proposed by the Parties to the CBD is examined. It starts with the following problem questions: Have the actions of the European Union (EU) been relevant to the fulfillment of the commitments assumed in its EBIO in the context of the PEE? Will the recently published PRRN help in the discussions surrounding a possible new global agreement on biodiversity after COP-15? Such questions will guide, respectively, topic 1 and topic 2. The methodology of the research will be deductive, descriptive and exploratory, through literature and documental analysis. As results, it was found that there was a delay in fulfilling the EBIO commitments. However, there was progress regarding the proposal of legally binding targets in the PRNR. A new global agreement for biodiversity is being outlined in the meetings for COP-15, and, despite the ambitious objectives, there is lack of political will and high-level leadership to close the most important points in time for the 2022 Conference. The study showed that efforts to conserve biodiversity cannot leave traditional communities aside throughout the processes of change.