UN report says climate change might be pushing more than a million species into extinction, calls for First Nations intervention

A new United Nations-backed report says that over exploitation of resources, climate change, pollution and deforestation are pushing one million species towards extinction.

The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) report said that unless humankind starts to act sustainably, the earth is on its way to losing 12 per cent of its wild tree species, more than 1,000 wild mammal species and almost 450 species of sharks and rays.

Report co-chair Marla Emery said it was imperative humankind acted now to protect the species for future generations.

“It’s essential that those uses be sustainable because you need them to be there for your children and grandchildren. So when uses of wild species become unsustainable, it’s bad for the species, it’s bad for the ecosystem and it’s bad for the people,” she said.

A central recommendation of the report was to secure tenure rights for Indigenous and local peoples, who have historically made sustainable use of wild species.

“Their lands tend to be doing better in sustainability than other lands. And the common thread is the ability to continue to engage in customary practices,” said Ms Emery.

She also argued it was essential to promote the preservation of Indigenous languages, to protect the ability for older members to transfer traditional knowledge about sustainable practices to new generations.

According to co-chair of the report Jean-Marc Fromentin, an example of good practice is fishing arapaima, one of the world’s largest freshwater fish, in Brazil’s Amazon.

“It was a move from an unsustainable to a sustainable situation,” Mr Fromentin said.

Gregorio Mirabal, the head of Coordinator of the Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin, said there had already been several UN studies stressing the importance of biodiversity and the threats posed by climate change, but solutions were vague.

The Indigenous leader mentioned growing problems in the region such as water contamination from mercury used in illegal mining and oil spillages.

He also said those who oppose these practices face violence.

“There is irrational exploitation of natural resources in the Amazon, but there is no social investment to improve the health, educational, cultural and food situation of the Indigenous peoples,” Mr Mirabal said.

The report was approved by representatives of the 139 member countries gathered this week in Bonn, Germany. It involved dozens of experts, from scientists to holders of Indigenous knowledge.