External publications

A lifeline for biodiversity: why rich countries must cancel debt to save nature

published on blogs.idos-research.de, 24.02.2025

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Biodiversity loss is accelerating at an alarming rate. From deforestation in the Amazon to coral reef degradation in the Indo-Pacific, ecosystems that sustain life on Earth are vanishing. Despite global commitments, the world is failing to meet conservation goals. The problem is not only slow policy responses but a lack of financial resources, particularly in countries harbouring most of the world’s biodiversity. These countries are caught in a financial stranglehold. Their national budgets are stretched thin, forcing them to prioritise biodiversity harming activities for debt repayments over environmental protection. The resumed biodiversity talks at COP16 in Rome must address this urgent issue. In Rome, as it was in Cali, a contentious and heated negotiation will continue regarding how high-income countries can increase finance to support biodiversity conservation in biodiversity-rich countries. Without meaningful debt relief, these nations cannot meet their biodiversity commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The stakes are too high to ignore.

About the IDOS author

Rodríguez de Francisco, Jean Carlo

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