Many species are poised on the edge of extinction following a reduction by half over the past two decades of wild and natural areas outside parks and other reserves, according to the Durban Accord.
The report, containing the main outcomes of the fifth World Parks Congress (WPC) being held in Durban, was released late on Tuesday.
It lists a further 15 concerns, pulled together from the input of more than 2 500 participants at the World Conservation Union (IUCN) event.
"The accord is the umbrella document of the congress and the principal message from this meeting to the world," said WPC secretary general David Sheppard.
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| 'Biological diversity is on the brink of mass extinction' |
"We voice concern that biological diversity is on the brink of mass extinction," the accord states.
It also paints a frightening picture of a rapidly changing world. "All around us we see transformations: climate change, fragmentation of landscapes and seascapes, and the spread of invasive alien species.
"We see growing populations, globalisation, urbanisation, decentralisation and rising demands for food, fibre, fuel and water.
"We see loss of biological and cultural diversity and failing ecosystems that serve as vital organs of the Earth, (and) we see three billion people in poverty, gripped by daily struggles for survival," it says.
The accord also makes a series of calls for commitment and action by the world's governments, while noting that the WPC outputs are not legally binding.
One of the action calls is for the "mobilisation of resources to implement the African Protected Areas Initiative and the African Protected Area Trust Fund".
Among the reports other major concerns, are:
that many areas of irreplaceable and threatened biological diversity have not yet been protected;
that while 12 percent of the world's land area now enjoys protection in some form or other, less than one percent of its oceans, seas and coasts have the same status;
that many proclaimed protected areas exist more on paper than in practice, especially in developing nations and in the marine realm;
that freshwater eco-systems are largely unprotected;
that "perverse subsidies" encourage over-exploitation of resources in and around protected areas;
that existing protected areas suffer an annual $25-billion funding shortfall; and
that human-induced climate change threatens to reverse past achievements and jeopardise future efforts, and that the world has not started substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
- This article was originally published on page 6 of Cape Times on September 17, 2003
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