Mainstreaming biodiversity proposal is dangerous and will not halt its collapse

Friends of the Earth International argues that the Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) draft decision to "mainstream biodiversity" across all economic sectors is dangerous and ineffective. The organization claims the proposal prioritizes corporate profit over nature and indigenous peoples, relying on voluntary business actions and "greenwashing" mechanisms like offsetting and ecosystem accounting rather than enforceable governmental regulations to halt the drivers of biodiversity loss.

• The draft decision to "mainstream biodiversity in all sectors" is criticized for marginalizing the issue to separate documents and undemocratic spaces, failing to place it at the heart of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). The proposal targets all economic sectors, including energy, mining, manufacturing, infrastructure, tourism, and industrial agriculture, defining mainstreaming as ensuring biodiversity and its services are "appropriately and adequately factored into policies and practices that rely and have an impact on it."
• The document argues that governmental policy proposals in the draft are flawed, specifically criticizing the use of "Ecosystem accounting" and "natural capital" as unproven methods that ignore non-quantifiable cultural and spiritual values. Furthermore, the draft's approach to spatial planning is seen as dangerous because it relies on a "mitigation hierarchy and offsetting," which the author claims essentially provides a "licence to further destroy natural areas" as long as compensation occurs elsewhere.
• The draft is accused of sidelining government regulation of corporations in favor of voluntary business actions and "nature based solutions." Friends of the Earth International asserts that this approach leads to "greenwashing" and increases corporate power, potentially establishing a decision-making body involving businesses outside of multilateral processes, which would exclude civil society and reduce government accountability.
• The proposal is criticized for placing the responsibility for sustainable lifestyles on individual consumers rather than addressing the systemic structures that drive unsustainable consumption. The document argues that governments should instead be responsible for regulating these systems and holding "false eco-claims to account."

APA

FOEIAdmin (2021). Mainstreaming biodiversity proposal is dangerous and will not halt its collapse. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/mainstreaming-biodiversity-proposal-is-dangerous-and-will-not-halt-its-collapse/

Chicago

FOEIAdmin. Mainstreaming biodiversity proposal is dangerous and will not halt its collapse. Friends of the Earth International, 2021. https://www.foei.org/mainstreaming-biodiversity-proposal-is-dangerous-and-will-not-halt-its-collapse/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=FOEIAdmin |title=Mainstreaming biodiversity proposal is dangerous and will not halt its collapse |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=18 May 2021 |url=https://www.foei.org/mainstreaming-biodiversity-proposal-is-dangerous-and-will-not-halt-its-collapse/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{foeiadmin2021mainstreaming, author = {FOEIAdmin}, title = {{Mainstreaming biodiversity proposal is dangerous and will not halt its collapse}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2021}, month = may, url = {https://www.foei.org/mainstreaming-biodiversity-proposal-is-dangerous-and-will-not-halt-its-collapse/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }