Belgian authorities launch biodiversity platform

Belgian ministers for the environment have launched a new initiative focused on improving biodiversity within the country.

The online platform, called the Belgian Alliance for Biodiversity, aims to both encourage nature preservation and raise awareness about existing efforts in the realm of biodiversity.

Biodiversity has been declining worldwide for several years, with scientists saying that human activities are resulting in a new great extinction of living species on Earth.

“The Belgian Biodiversity Alliance (BBA) gathers public and private partners sharing the same vision and goal: to provide a common platform for tangible contributions by public and private actors in Belgium,” the official website reads.

“The BBA wants to inspire and to mobilise the whole Belgian society in a very concrete way in the fight against the loss of biodiversity. The Alliance intends to bring together all those who are taking actions in our country to protect, restore and sustainably use biodiversity.”

The initiative comes ahead of the 15th United Nations Conference on Biodiversity, which will be held from 7 to 19 December in Montreal, Canada.

The aim is to mobilise governments and civil society to adopt urgent conservation actions, and the BBA includes advice and resources for citizens, including tips on how to manage their garden in a more environmentally friendly way.

Municipalities are also encouraged to develop areas where flora and fauna can thrive, while businesses are invited to take better account of biodiversity in their production processes.

“The network of actions and initiatives deployed across Belgium will contribute to achieving the regional, national, European and global ambitions for halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2050,” the BBA said.

Companies will be able to publish their biodiversity goals and action plans on the official website, but these actions must meet at least one of the 10 objectives set by the Alliance for 2030.