We are calling for policymakers worldwide to take in the scientific knowledge synthesized in the 10 Must Knows from Biodiversity Science 2022 to inform much needed policies. At the UN Biodiversity Conference in Montreal in December 2022, your decisive action is needed to halt the man-made extinction of species and to strengthen biodiversity. The 10MustDos22 are intended to support you in taking such action by proposing solutions that can be implemented with immediate effect.

Find corresponding literature references at "Read more".

MustDo 1: Did you know that in the past 10 years, about 55% of the anthropogenic greenhouse gas carbon dioxide has been absorbed by all terrestrial ecosystems and the oceans [1]?

We support the demand to protect 30% of land and sea areas by 2030 [2], to designate a further 20% as climate stabilisation areas [3] (where protection does not necessarily preclude sustainable management), and to restore a billion hectares of degraded ecosystems worldwide. These measures could correspond to 1/3 of the activities required to limit the global temperature increase to well below 2 degrees Celcius by 2100 and to conserve 2/3 of the species that are severely threatened with extinction [4].

12/05/2022

[1] Friedlingstein et al. (2021). Global Carbon Budget 2021. Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss. doi:10.5194/essd-2021-386

[2] Wende (2022). Herausforderung Artensterben. Was kann eine nachhaltige Flächenpolitik zur Bewältigung einer der drängendsten Krisen unserer Zeit beitragen? In: Nachrichten der ARL 51 (2022) 03/2021, S.20-23. shop.arl-net.de/media/direct/pdf/nachrichten/2021-3/05_wende.pdf 

[3] Dinerstein et al. (2019). A Global Deal For Nature: Guiding principles, milestones, and targets. Science Advances. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aaw2869

[4] Strassburg Bernardo (2021). A Decade for restoring Earth. Science. doi:10.1126/science.abm6556