One Million Trees for Timor Leste

Matebian, third highest mountain in Timor Leste. © Billtrips.com

In July, I discussed with the Cabinet of the President of Republic of Timor Leste on supporting the One Million Trees Program. Conservation International will support the Government’s commitment of planting one million trees by the end of 2022, as stated by President Mr. Francisco Guterres (Lú Olo). By having one million trees, the country would be able to combat climate change, reduce land degradation, and bring clean water to communities. With the active involvement of all agencies and various partners, it is expected that more than 180,000 ha will be replanted or restored.

Yearbook of Global Climate Action 2018

Climate action symbol in Sustainable Development Goals.

Here is the Yearbook of Global Climate Action 2018 that promoting the development of global climate action. Five major trends identified from the analysis of the vast amount of resources:

Global climate action is helping close the gap in achieving the goals of Paris Agreement
Global climate action is growing and diversifying, addressing a wide range of sectors
Outputs of global climate action are increasing in middle and low-income countries, and contributing to delivering the Sustainable Development Goals
Global climate action is helping finance the transition to a low greenhouse gas emission and climate resilient global economy
Global climate action is becoming more transparent, with a larger number of initiatives publicly registering and reporting their actions.

Summary of SDGs Report

Sustainable Development Goals. © http://www.un.org

The year 2030 is just over a decade away. This report summary provides evidence-based insights to see our progress towards the goals. Some key points from this report related to Climate Action (SDG No 13), Life Below Water (SDG No 14), and Life of Land (SDG No 15) are:

To limit global warming to 1.5C, global carbon emission needs to fall to 55% of 2010 levels by 2030 and continue a steep decline to zero net emission by 2050
186 parties have ratified the Paris Agreement
17% of waters under national jurisdiction are covered by protected areas. More than double than 2010

Notwithstanding that progress, this report also identifies many areas that need urgent collective attention. The natural environment is deteriorating at an alarming rate: sea levels are rising; ocean acidification is accelerating; one million plant and animal species are at risk of extinction; and land degradation continues unchecked.

Sustainable Development Goals, 2030. Where are we on this?

I am sharing the recently published Sustainable Development Report 2019: Transformations to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, which include the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Index and Dashboard, provides detail progress by countries on their achievement of the SDGs. The report includes information on all 193 UN member states in SDG indicators, as well as calculations for trajectories until 2030.

Download the full report and see more information here.

Discovering the Lau Seascape

A white-tipped reef shark swims between the coral in Lau Seascape.
Photo by Conservation International.

I visited Fiji this week, went to Lau Seascape – covers an area of roughly 114,000 square km. This area is threatened by climate change, unsustainable fishing, and coral reefs degradation. Managing this area will be crucial for ensuring its resilience to climate change and ensuring its services to provide food and livelihoods for thousand people.

In 2017, CI team conducted a Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) in Lau Seascape to highlighted areas of significant biodiversity that requires protection, as well as areas that have been over exploited and requires supportive management. The expedition discovered six new species and supported the establishment of Navatu Reef Marine Protected Area (MPA). Here is CI’s video about Lau Seascape.