Aichi Biodiversity Target 3

By 2020, at the latest, incentives, including subsidies, harmful to biodiversity are eliminated, phased out or reformed in order to minimize or avoid negative impacts, and positive incentives for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity are developed and applied, consistent and in harmony with the Convention and other relevant international obligations, taking into account national socio economic conditions.

Summary of Target achievement: Not achieved (medium confidence)

Overall, inadequate progress has been made over the past decade in eliminating, phasing out or reforming subsidies and other incentives potentially harmful to biodiversity, and in developing positive incentives for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.

• There been little progress in reducing global fisheries subsidies.
• The value of harmful incentives as a proportion of all fishing subsidies increased between 2009 and 2018. Of the more than $35 billion USD provided as fishing subsidies in 2018, some $22 billion USD was spent on subsidies linked to overfishing through expanding the capacity of fishing fleets.

Aichi Biodiversity Target 6

By 2020 all fish and invertebrate stocks and aquatic plants are managed and harvested sustainably, legally and applying ecosystem based approaches, so that overfishing is avoided, recovery plans and measures are in place for all depleted species, fisheries have no significant adverse impacts on threatened species and vulnerable ecosystems and the impacts of fisheries on stocks, species and ecosystems are within safe ecological limits.

Summary of target achievement: Not achieved (high confidence)

While there has been substantial progress towards this target in some countries and regions, a third of marine fish stocks are overfished, a higher proportion than ten years ago. Many fisheries are still causing unsustainable levels of bycatch of non-target species and are damaging marine habitats.

• A third of marine fish stocks are overfished, a higher proportion than ten years ago.
• Many fisheries are still negatively impacting mammals, birds and amphibians, and their habitats, through bycatch, mortality in fishing gear and disturbance.
• However, where good fisheries management policies have been introduced, involving stock assessments, catch limits, and enforcement, the abundance of marine fish stocks has been maintained or rebuilt.
• Notable successes have been achieved recently in reducing overfishing by addressing illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

Aichi Biodiversity Target 7

By 2020 areas under agriculture, aquaculture and forestry are managed sustainably, ensuring conservation of biodiversity.

Summary of target achievement: Not achieved (high confidence)

There has been a substantial expansion of efforts to promote sustainable aquaculture over recent years. However, food and agricultural production remains among the main drivers of global biodiversity loss.

• Aquaculture is the fastest growing sector of global food production, and its expansion has caused large-scale loss and destruction of coastal wetlands (especially mangroves), and pollution of soil and water. In recent years the proportion of feed coming from capture fisheries has declined, and of this, more is coming from bycatch.
• Positive developments include the recent replacement of capture fisheries as a fish feed with bycatch, seaweed and microalgae, as well as the increased use of bivalve filter feeders to lower nutrient load and reduce water pollution
• The sixth national reports submitted by CBD Parties generally pay much less attention to aquaculture than to issues associated with forestry and agriculture.

Aichi Biodiversity Target 8

By 2020, pollution, including from excess nutrients, has been brought to levels that are not detrimental to ecosystem function and biodiversity

Summary of target achievement: Not achieved (medium confidence)

Pollution, including from excess nutrients, pesticides, plastics and other waste, continues to be a major driver of biodiversity loss. Plastic pollution is accumulating in the oceans, with severe impacts on marine ecosystems, and in other ecosystems with still largely unknown implications. Actions taken in many countries to minimize plastic waste have not been sufficient to reduce this source of pollution

• Recent estimates indicate that more than 10 million tonnes of plastic waste are currently entering the oceans every year, endangering fish, seabirds and other taxa.
• The rate at which plastic pollution enters aquatic ecosystems is projected to increase by 2.6 times the level of 2016 by 2040, under a ‘business as usual’ scenario.
• Public concern about plastic pollution has risen sharply in many countries, giving rise to policies and campaigns to reduce or prohibit single-use plastics. However, these efforts do not meet the level of action needed to sufficiently reduce plastics from entering the environment.
• Abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (“ghost gear”) is a particularly deadly form of marine waste impacting many threatened species, including through entanglement and ingestion. It also has impacts on sensitive marine environments, such as coral reefs.

Aichi Biodiversity Target 10

By 2015, the multiple anthropogenic pressures on coral reefs, and other vulnerable ecosystems impacted by climate change or ocean acidification are minimized, so as to maintain their integrity and functioning.

Summary of target achievement: Not achieved (high confidence)

Multiple threats continue to affect coral reefs and other vulnerable ecosystems. Overfishing, nutrient pollution and coastal development compound the effects of coral bleaching.

• Corals have shown the most rapid increase in extinction risk of all assessed taxonomic groups. More than 60% of the world’s coral reefs face immediate direct threats.
• The highest levels of coral cover decline have been in the Caribbean region, currently classed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems, while reefs in the Western Indian Ocean have shown intermediate decline and are classed as Vulnerable.
• Coral reef communities have shifted significantly in many locations: faster-growing species that create complex habitat for reef-dwelling species have been replaced by slower-growing corals more resistant to higher temperatures but offering less niche-space to other species.

Aichi Biodiversity Target 11

By 2020, at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, are conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well-connected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, and integrated into the wider landscape and seascape.

Summary of target achievement: Partially achieved (high confidence)

The proportion of oceans designated as protected areas has reached the target for 2020 and may be exceeded when other effective area-based conservation measures and future national commitments are taken into account. There has been less progress in the qualitative aspects of this target.

• MPA coverage has increased significantly between 2000 and 2020 from about 3% to at least 7% (including 17.2% of marine areas within national jurisdiction and 1.2% of marine areas beyond jurisdiction). And, commitments made by countries for new or expanded protected areas amount to more than 12.5 million km2 in the oceans.
• Much of this increase is due to the establishment or expansion of extremely large MPAs in the Pacific Ocean (i.e., Marae Moana Marine Park and Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument).
• Progress has been more modest in terms of ensuring that MPAs safeguard the most important areas for biodiversity, ecological representativity and connectivity, and management effectiveness.

Aichi Biodiversity Target 12

By 2020 the extinction of known threatened species has been prevented and their conservation status, particularly of those most in decline, has been improved and sustained.

Summary of target achievement: Not achieved (high confidence)

Species continue to move, on average, closer to extinction. However, the number of extinctions of birds and mammals would likely have been much higher without conservation actions over the past decade.

• The proportion of marine species threatened with extinction ranges from 7.5% for selected families of bony fishes, to 30% of sharks and rays, to 33% of reef-forming corals.
• Recent declines in marine species are slower than those of terrestrial species, but with a high level of uncertainty. According to the Living Planet Index, marine species populations have declined 8% since 2000, compared to freshwater species (44%) and terrestrial species (39%).

Aichi Biodiversity Target 15

By 2020, ecosystem resilience and the contribution of biodiversity to carbon stocks has been enhanced, through conservation and restoration, including restoration of at least 15 per cent of degraded ecosystems, thereby contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation and to combatting desertification.

Summary of target achievement: Not achieved (medium confidence)

Progress has been limited, although restoration programmes are under way or proposed in many regions, with the potential to deliver significant gains in ecosystem resilience and preservation of carbon stocks.

• There has been a surge in projects to restore coastal ecosystems, including mangroves, seagrass meadows, kelp forests, and coral and oyster reefs. These efforts have improved water quality, provided coastal protection and contributed to the mitigation of climate change (“Blue Carbon”).
• Despite the successes, only a small proportion of such habitats have been restored. It is estimated that more than 800,000 hectares of mangroves have potential for restoration.