Somewhere Far Away...: Quito CMS COP1

Thursday 6 November 2014

Quito CMS COP1

Apologies if anyone was hoping for a detailed report from the Conference of Parties to the Convention of Migratory Species in Quito Ecuador to appear here. I am indeed attending but I have been rather busy and adapting to the thin air (we are at 2,800m here). The internet connectivity in the conference centre has also been impacted by the lack of oxygen and this has also affected my ability to report!

However, the Earth Negotiations Bulletin is making an excellent daily illustrated report and you will find much information there. Click HERE to go to the ENB site and note that an illustrated account will be provided for each day.

I will add a few personal insights and images here from time to time: We have heard many fine and inspiring speeches, including from Lorena Tapia the minister of environment of the host country ,who explained how her country has been the first enshrined the rights of nature in its legal framework.

Here are a few snippets from those speeches to give you an idea of key points in the opening sessions: :

‘We cannot have healthy humans on a sick planet’

‘Our governance systems cannot prevail where nature does not have rights. A balance must be struck on what is the best for the community of life overall.’

‘Ecuador is the first country to embed rights of nature into its legislation’.

‘All social change has been based on rights’

‘The support of civil society is essential.’

‘Does setting up rights for nature set up a conflict. Would it not be more effective to look through the lens of human rights?’

‘CITES has a compliance mechanism… [in the form of] a trade suspension. Perhaps what we lack is the ability to hold countries to account.’

‘Who speaks for nature? Nature is fighting back – this is why we are having epidemics’.

‘In some places there are more plastic bags than fish!’

‘Now is the time to close the tap. We need to prevent new plastics from entering the oceans’.

‘Wildlife numbers have decreased by half in the last forty years …. It doesn't have to be like this. Animals and the ecosystems that support them need our help. I know you are all under pressure from finance ministries but can we really afford to not support bodies such as CMS. You need to continue to lead the way – adopting the draft resolutions and adding the species proposed here would be a good start.’

‘Give CMS the mandate to turn around species decline. I urge you to throw aside caution and fear – we must act with audacity and courage.’

‘You inspire me every day’ (Madam Cousteau addressing Monsieur Cousteau when thanking him for this speech).

And some images