Australia urged to put biodiversity at the heart of planning as global targets slip out of reach
University of New South Wales
Australia urged to put biodiversity at the heart of planning as global targets slip out of reach
[FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE] The world is falling short of its biodiversity commitments because nature is still treated as an afterthought in decisions about housing, infrastructure, agriculture, energy, mining and conservation, according to a new UNSW report.
Associate Professor Hedley Grantham, from UNSW’s Centre for Ecosystem Science, says better planning is needed to close the gap between Australia’s global biodiversity commitments and what is happening on the ground.
A new global assessment released ahead of COP17 warns that fewer than half of the 23 targets assessed under the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework are on track.
No target presents a fully positive picture, and governments are not moving fast enough to meet the framework’s 2030 goals.
“Australia has signed up to these targets but is not on track to meet them,” says A/Prof Grantham.
“Nor are we using all the tools we have available. Biodiversity needs to be considered early in planning decisions, using the best available evidence,”.
“This isn’t about creating another layer of planning red tape. It’s about making existing processes work together.”
Australia adopted the Kunming–Montreal Framework in 2022, but did not include a standalone national planning target in its own strategy.
The approach, known as biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning, or BISP, would make nature-positive design a basic part of planning from the beginning, rather than something retrofitted onto projects after the key decisions have already been made.
“BISP is critical because biodiversity conservation depends not only on protected areas, but on the thousands of development decisions made across our landscapes and seascapes,” says A/Prof Grantham.
“If biodiversity is not considered in those decisions, global conservation targets will remain out of reach.”
Australia already has many of the tools needed to make better decisions, including biodiversity mapping, marine zoning, protected-area planning and bioregional approaches but does not use them in a consistent way.
“Embedding biodiversity in planning can help turn global commitments into practical decisions.”
A/Prof Grantham recommends bringing existing conservation, restoration and sustainable-use plans together in a coordinated spatial planning framework aligned with global commitments.
“Better information helps governments find solutions that deliver economic benefits while reducing unnecessary environmental harm,” says A/Prof Grantham.
A/Prof Grantham and 20 international co-authors outline the approach in a paper published in Nature Reviews Biodiversity.
Contact details:
Tom Melville
UNSW Science
0432912060
[email protected]