COP on to the needs of Nature — we're facing a 'Sixth Mass Extinction'

The ‘Sixth Mass Extinction’ that we are now facing is predicted to lead to the loss of half of all plant and animal species by the end of the century — but allocating 30% of the earth's area for nature restoration could be the start of our chance to avert widespread ecosystem breakdown

Flossie Donnelly from Dun Laoghaire on South Anne Street, Dublin during a protest by Extinction Rebellion Ireland and allies during a rally to highlight the biodiversity crisis in Ireland while, in Montreal, Canada, the 15th meeting of the United Nations’ Convention (COP 15) on Biological Diversity took place from December 7-19.  Photo: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos

How much space for nature is enough?

This has been one of the core questions debated at the UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP 15) in Montreal, Canada. This global biodiversity summit has been the most important international event for biodiversity in more than a decade, where the future of global biodiversity is being decided by representatives from 196 countries, including Ireland. As with the UN Climate Change conferences held every few years (also called COP — conference of the parties), this biodiversity COP set out to agree a collective approach to halt the loss of biodiversity over the next decade.