The mention of Rio to the ordinary traveller conjures up images of sun-scorched beaches, sugar loaf mountain and the iconic statue. But, for most people working to protect nature, Rio has another meaning - the setting of the first Earth Summit and birthplace of two global conservation agreements. It was also occasion when the world tried hard to address the issue of sustainable development - how mankind across the planet prospers without destroying the environment on which we depend. The debate has raged ever since, as the pressure on our natural resources - water, soil, air, wildlife - increases.
The world leaders who gathered in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 probably had little time to notice the stunning rainforests that cloak National Parks near the city, or experience the wonders of coral reefs off nearby shores that teem with sea life. What they were concentrating on was providing the world with, among other things, new weapons in the conservation armoury to fight the global loss of wildlife.
One, the Convention on biological diversity, has become the global platform to galvanise governments to do more to protect wildlife. It has become the focal point to review progress and gain governments’ further commitments.
The second, the Convention on Climate Change, provided the framework that enabled governments to attempt to agree to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change is the greatest threat to our biodiversity yet (as if it didn’t have enough on its plate already!) and back in 1992 it wasn't given the prominence it is today.
Thus, Rio was a milestone in global nature conservation - not the first, hopefully not the last, but nevertheless it was of huge significance. For the RSPB and others, it provided the impetus for the biodiversity action planning that has been deployed, often successfully, to rescue wildlife from the brink of extinction.
Twenty years on, and the Rio+20 summit is now taking place. World leaders are again gathering, and returning to the issues they first debated two decades earlier. How will they rate their successes since they last met? Will they deliver new agreements to help make our planet a more sympathetic place for wildlife to survive? We’re about to find out.