CALI: Minister for Forests and Environment Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri has reiterated Nepal’s commitment to biodiversity conservation. In the UN Biodiversity Summit known as COP16 being held in Cali of Colombia, the Minister said Nepal has made remarkable progress in the restoration of forest areas and conservation of endangered animals, while the number of tigers has increased three-fold.
According to National News Agency Nepal, addressing the session ‘Sustainable Finance, Financial System Reform and the Global Response to Biodiversity’, Minister Thakuri highlighted that Nepal is home to 2.7 percent of the world’s biodiversity, despite covering just 0.1 percent of the world’s territory. He attributed these achievements to the cooperation of women, indigenous nationalities, and local communities, emphasizing that their costs and contributions should not be undermined.
The Minister noted that Nepal has generated 152 million US dollars annually for biodiversity conservation through community-based initiatives,
but acknowledged a shortfall of 80 million US dollars every year to meet its biodiversity goals. To address this gap, Nepal has been implementing various sustainable financing tools.
The Minister also called for the world community’s commitment to providing 20 billion US dollars annually for biodiversity conservation until 2025 to be fulfilled. He stressed the necessity of international support for executing biodiversity conservation plans effectively.