Germany helps kick off $1 bln conservation fund as biodiversity targets missed
Reuters
4 hrs ago
* Land conservation on track but marine target missed
* Legacy Landscapes Fund seeded with $160 million
* Comes ahead of UN Biodiversity Convention in October
* Public support for conservation rising
By Kanupriya Kapoor and Simon Jessop
LONDON, May 19 (Reuters) - Germany helped launch a new billion-dollar fund on Wednesday to tackle rapidly depleting global biodiversity, as countries missed key land and marine conservation targets but prepare to ramp up efforts in the decade ahead.
Protecting biodiversity has risen up the global agenda, not least because scientists say the destruction of remote natural habitats facilitates the spread of diseases such as the new coronavirus to humans as they come into closer contact with other species.