The United States has created a new diplomatic role to show the country’s commitment to tackling the biodiversity crisis ahead of Cop15 in Montreal, Canada, where the next decade of nature targets will be drawn up.
Monica Medina, a former military officer who started her governmental career in 1989 as senior counsel to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, has been named special envoy for biodiversity and water resources.
Historically, the country has not been a supporter of the UN’s Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) treaty. The US is the only UN member state not to ratify the 1992 Rio Declaration, citing concerns ranging from financial commitments to who would own the rights to genetic discoveries in forest reserves. But the creation of the new role for nature shows the US is “very much committed to the aims of CBD negotiations”, said Medina.
“It’s a priority for our administration,” she said. “We use nature for free essentially, but it’s not free. We know it’s not free. We know there are costs to the way that we’ve been extracting from nature. And now we need to find a way to make sure we account for that today and in the future.”
A state department spokesman said the new role signalled “the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to resolving the world’s intertwined biodiversity and water crises”.
Medina, who is also the assistant secretary for oceans, international environmental and scientific affairs, added: “We have an awful lot of work in the area of biodiversity this year, so we thought it was appropriate to expand the role. Nature is an important part of our sustainability as well [as climate change], and I’m glad to have a chance to bring a voice to those issues and to the people and communities that depend on nature.”
The US is a supporter of aims to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030 (known as 30x30), and has nationally committed to the goal. Another focus for Medina is getting more private-sector funding into nature protection. “I think we are poised to have an incredible success [at Cop15], but we have a long way to go,” she said.
Other countries have diplomats who act specifically for the interests of nature, such as Pippa Hackett, who is an Irish Green Party minister for land use and biodiversity; and Lorna Slater, Scotland’s minister for green skills, circular economy and biodiversity.
“I think [Medina’s appointment] is a really exciting announcement,” said Slater. “It shows that small countries like Scotland can lead the way in these things. But it’s great, of course, when the big global powers get in the game as well.
“I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we see more and more of this in the future. The nature part is not an add-on, it’s part and parcel of making sure our world is habitable and of tackling the climate crisis.
Prof Yadvinder Malhi, president of the British Ecological Society, said: “We’re pleased to see that the US has designated a special envoy for biodiversity and water resources. We’re hopeful that this appointment is an indication of the US’s commitment to protecting nature on a national and international scale and can lead to positive action at Cop15.
“The appointment also helps to highlight the significance of biodiversity loss, a crisis that can often be overlooked in comparison to the closely linked – and equally significant – crisis of climate change.”
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