New target: impact of actions on biodiversity in other countries

Scope of the target

• Ensure that Parties’ activities do not cause damage to the environment of other Parties or areas beyond national jurisdiction

Articles 3 and 4b of the Convention set this obligation out clearly and include both othercountries and areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ).
CBD articles 3 and 4 (b) can be fully understood as CBD obligations in this respect in theirconnection to the CBD articles 7c, 8 (l) and to the articles 6 (f), 8 (i), 8 (j), 8 (m), 14.1 (d) & 22.1, etc
Moreover, we cannot address biodiversity loss and our multiple crises while we continue to damage the environment of other Parties and Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. We need to address these crises collectively according to the principle of CBDR.

Elements that should be part of the target

• Consumption and international trade and investment

These are major drivers of biodiversity loss and must be tackled at national and international
level, in a just and equitable way

• Countries´ ecological footprints not to exceed their fair share of global biocapacity,

Currently the difference in ecological footprint between countries and between global north
and global south is huge. It needs to be thoroughly and verifiably documented so that this
information can be used to identify and sanction countries with high ecological footprints.
Current gross inequalities in ecological footprints plus the inequitable geographic distribution
of negative impacts have to be addressed urgently in order to address biodiversity loss

• Avoid negative telecoupling

According to paragraphs 3 and 4bof the Convention, countries need to take responsibility to
stop damage to biodiversity in other countries, including through their production and
consumption.
Telecoupling: comprehensive analysis of both the socioeconomic and environmental
impacts of distant, coupled human and natural system’s interactions.

This is a concept explained and demonstrated in the IPBES global assessment report.