041 - Ecological integrity in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework

041 - Ecological integrity in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework

Latest version in this language: Version for electronic vote | Published on: 30 Sep 2021

RECOGNISING that ecosystems are declining at an unprecedented rate globally;

RECALLING that ecological integrity or its converse, degradation of ecosystems, is included within soft law (e.g. 1992 Rio Declaration) and international agreements (e.g. the Paris Agreement on Climate Change);

RECALLING that Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have agreed on the value of ecosystem integrity to climate change mitigation, adaptation and disaster risk reduction, including adoption of relevant guidance on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction at the 14th Meeting of Conference of Parties to CBD (COP14, Egypt, 2018);

FURTHER RECALLING that ‘ecosystem integrity’ is mentioned in CBD Aichi Biodiversity Target 10 on climate-vulnerable ecosystems and recognised as a criterion of the Key Biodiversity Areas Standard, endorsed by the last IUCN Congress (Hawai‘i, 2016);

NOTING that the Red List of Ecosystems provides an approach to evaluating the ecological integrity of the most vulnerable biomes and ecosystems;

FURTHER NOTING that the Parties to the CBD will adopt a new post-2020 global biodiversity framework, which will drive action for the conservation of biodiversity for at least the next decade;

ALSO NOTING that ecosystem integrity refers to the presence of viable and ecologically functional species populations within sufficient quality and extent of habitat, and that this concept underpins biodiversity conservation as well as other environmental values including carbon storage and sequestration, and fisheries replenishment;

RECOGNISING that ecosystem integrity is critical for the livelihoods and cultural expression of many indigenous peoples, many of whom depend on intact ecosystems;

FURTHER RECOGNISING the important role that livelihoods and local communities may play in maintaining or restoring ecological integrity;

AWARE of clear evidence that highly intact ecosystems are Earth’s remaining strongholds for species with declining populations in parts of their range where development and resource extraction pressures are high, and are increasingly valuable in a time of climate change due to their higher levels of resilience, and provide enhanced services for human well-being; and

FURTHER AWARE that Earth’s ecological integrity depends on intact ecosystems and connectivity between them, and therefore intactness, connectivity and species migration require increased international cooperation and must be addressed through any new global biodiversity framework;

The IUCN World Conservation Congress, at its session in Marseille, France:

1. CALLS UPON IUCN Members, Governments, NGOs, indigenous peoples and intergovernmental organisations, to work with CBD Party governments and other stakeholders to ensure that the post-2020 global biodiversity framework to be adopted at the 15th Meeting of Conference of Parties to CBD (COP15, China):

a. recognises that maintaining and restoring ecological integrity is critically important and on a par with preventing the conversion of ecosystems, as a measure to address the biodiversity and climate crises, ensure resilience, and maintain other values critical to sustainable development;

b. includes an explicit, measurable target to maintain the current levels of, and where possible enhance, ecological integrity in ecosystems of all types (marine, freshwater, terrestrial), especially those of high biodiversity, by ensuring they are effectively managed, at relevant scales, potentially with biome-specific goals on integrity;

c. prioritises the critical need to secure the integrity of the last-remaining highly intact ecosystems on the planet; and

d. recognises that, where levels of ecological integrity are already reduced, they should be protected from further loss, and where possible increased via restoration; and

2. CALLS UPON the Director General of IUCN, and thereby the IUCN Secretariat, to promote the elements of paragraphs 1 a to 1 d, above, in discussions, advocacy, and advice relevant to the adoption of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework through the CBD.

The condition of Earth’s ecosystems is declining. Due to humanity’s expanding footprint, the extent of ecosystems that still have high integrity and ecological functionality is dwindling; many are in a partly degraded state and face ongoing declines. The recent IPBES Report highlighted the loss of ecological integrity to be as serious as the conversion of ecosystems. The consequences for biodiversity are clear: increasing species’ declines and extinction due to degradation of critical habitat, compounded by fundamental changes to the climatic environments in which they evolved. There is ongoing decline in critical ecosystem services that underpin the human well-being. The impacts may be especially devastating for Indigenous Peoples and local communities, many of whom depend on high levels of ecological integrity for their food security, livelihoods, and cultural identity.
There is clear evidence that highly intact ecosystems are Earth’s remaining strongholds for biodiversity, and are increasingly critical in a time of climate change due to higher resilience. Compared to exploited and degraded forests, the planet’s remaining intact forest ecosystems support more diverse and robust environmental values and necessary services. These include carbon sequestration, water provision, refuges for imperilled species, and protection of indigenous cultures. Whilst partial restoration may be possible, once intact ecosystems are degraded it is generally impossible to restore them to functionality over reasonable timescales. Also, management-intensive restoration activities are enormously expensive. Thus, the best way to secure these systems in the best condition is to conserve them proactively before anthropogenic impacts start to seriously erode their quality.
Therefore, ecosystem integrity must be front and center in the post-2020 framework. It is in the Rio Declaration and other MEAs, including the Paris Agreement. Parties negotiating the post-2020 framework should ensure that the new targets prioritize the need to secure the ecological integrity of all ecosystems, long term, at or above current levels. The integrity of the last remaining highly intact ecosystems (marine, freshwater, terrestrial) should be conserved as a priority, and, where ecosystems have already experienced damage, they should be protected from further degradation. These measures should take account of the rights and needs of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
Ecosystem degradation (from pressures including fragmentation, logging, overgrazing, over-hunting, overfishing), is the primary threat to ecological integrity. Current Aichi Target 5 calls for major reductions in loss of natural habitats through decreasing rates of degradation and fragmentation. This target must be improved in precision, clarity and ambition in a post-2020 framework.
Previous IUCN Congresses adopted motions mentioning ecological integrity, but none dealt holistically with the conservation of ecological integrity across biomes and threats, in the context of global biodiversity targets, nor with the need to conserve and manage ecosystems based on their ecological integrity. This motion urges IUCN members and the Secretariat to help ensure that the post-2020 global biodiversity framework include an explicit, measurable target on the protection of ecological integrity in ecosystems of all types, at relevant scales, with priority given to ecosystems with high ecological integrity.







  • Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition [United States of America]
  • Association Française du Fonds Mondial pour la Nature - France [France]
  • Center for Large Landscape Conservation [United States of America]
  • Chicago Zoological Society [United States of America]
  • Fondation d'Entreprise Biotope pour la Biodiversité [France]
  • Fundação o Boticário de Proteção à Natureza [Brazil]
  • George Wright Society [United States of America]
  • Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá [Brazil]
  • Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas [Brazil]
  • Lincoln Park Zoo [United States of America]
  • Natural Resources Defense Council [United States of America]
  • NatureServe [United States of America]
  • Politique scientifique fédérale [Belgium]
  • Re:wild [United States of America]
  • Sociedade Civil Mamiraua [Brazil]
  • The Nature Conservancy [United States of America]
  • Tour du Valat [France]
  • WCS Associação Conservação da Vida Silvestre [Brazil]
  • Wilburforce Foundation [United States of America]
  • Wildlife Conservation Society [United States of America]
  • World Resources Institute [United States of America]
  • World Wide Fund for Nature - International [Switzerland]
  • Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative [United States of America]

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