Dr. Abdulla Naseer, Senior Policy Executive of the Environment Ministry, has said “the Maldives is continuously working towards the enhancement of legislative framework with regard to environmental protection and conservation.”
Speaking at the UN Biodiversity Conference held in Cancun, Mexico, Dr. Naseer noted that “the entire economy and way of life in the Maldives is inherently tied to the natural environment and biodiversity.”
“In 2012 Maldives pledged to establish a biosphere reserve by 2017, and the country is working towards achieving this goal,” he added.
The UN Biodiversity Conference opened on Friday in Cancun, Mexico, with a call to governments and businesses to integrate biodiversity into their practices if countries are to halt further environmental degradation and ensure the well-being and prosperity of future generations.
Over 100 ministers attended the High-Level Segment of the 13th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), also known as COP 13, and for the first time they included not just environment ministers but also from the sectors of forestry, tourism, agriculture and fisheries – sectors which depend, but also affect, countries' biodiversity.
The COP13 High-Level Segment concluded Saturday and over the next two weeks countries, are expected to adopt the so-called Cancun Declaration, to step up their commitments to protect biodiversity and achieve 20 biodiversity goals known as the Aichi Targets, which have a 2020 deadline.