Australian Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown has today announced the Greens support for the Boobook Declaration, calling on the Australian Government to act decisively to protect biodiversity in 2010, the United Nations International Year of Biodiversity.

"Kevin Rudd and Penny Wong should adopt the Declaration's action plan. Protecting biodiversity is one of the best tools we have for tackling climate change. Natural ecosystems are our carbon banks for the future," Senator Brown said.

"As with other measures to combat global warming, investment in protecting biodiversity now will help prevent the costs of catastrophic climate change in the future."

"A strong Australian economy is dependent on our increasingly fragile natural environment. The strongest economies of this century will have been supported by strong investment in protecting the environment now," Senator Brown said.

An alliance of forty environment groups from across Australia wrote to the three major parties asking them to support the Declaration.

The Boobook Declaration calls on the Australian Government to:

1. Acknowledge the critical importance of safeguarding biodiversity as part of Australia's climate change response and commit to correspondingly urgent action to address the systemic drivers of biodiversity loss.
2. Increase investment in biodiversity and ecosystem protection, restoration and management to at least $9 billion over the three years to 2012 and establish an independent consultative process into future funding and stewardship of Australia's terrestrial, aquatic and marine biodiversity.
3. Restore and increase publicly funded research capacity.
4. Develop education and training programs for all sectors of the community.

Full text of the Boobook Declaration: www.boobook.org.au
International Year of Biodiversity: www.cbd.int/2010/welcome/

Media contact: Peter Stahel 0433 005 727