Balancing biodiversity at global UN summit in Colombia

More than 190 nations signed up to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Colombia for the 16th Conference of the Parties or COP16, a meeting which is held every two years to agree on commitments to safeguard the environment.

The slogan of the meeting is ‘Peace with Nature’, recognising that economic development should not come at the expense of the environment.

COP16 is not to be confused with the COP29 meeting on climate change will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, next month.

Here are five things you need to know about the issues being addressed in Cali:

Country strategies

Every country which has signed up to the convention has committed to developing plans to meet various goals outlined in the Kunming-Montreal Global Framework for Biodiversity, a global plan, adopted at COP15 in Canada.

The convention’s chief aims are to protect 30 per cent of the planet, including terrestrial, marine and freshwater areas, transforming them into protected areas by the end of this decade.

In addition, the framework emphasises the restoration and protection of critical ecosystems, such as rainforests and wetlands.

“So far, fewer than 35 countries have submitted their plans,” said Juan Bello, regional director and representative of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Latin America and the Caribbean.

“A central focus of this summit is to review the targets proposed by each country for implementing the global framework to see if, they will achieve the objective of halting biodiversity loss.

Financing for action: $700 billion

Protecting biodiversity does not come cheaply. Some $700 billion is needed to kick-start action.

“At present, $200 billion a year is needed,” said Juan Bello. A further $500 billion is required in economic sectors such as food and energy sector to “transform subsidies that are currently harmful to biodiversity.”

A financing model for the implementation of the global biodiversity framework is key to its success. This includes the source of funding and how it will be managed.

Monitoring progress

Participants in Cali will also discuss how best to measure progress by individual countries.

“These countries need to agree on indicators, how to measure and verify, and this is quite complex,’ acknowledges the UNEP expert.

Benefits of genetic resources

The framework also includes commitments on the sustainable use of natural resources with the aim of ensuring that the benefits derived from “genetic resources” are shared fairly and equitably, to the communities which are their custodians.

Genetic resources refers to any biological material belonging to living beings, which contains genetic information of actual or potential value.

“It is expected that those who use this information for industrial purposes, for example, in the pharmaceutical industry, in the cosmetology and food industry, will be able to pay because it is an industrial and commercial use,” said Juan Bello.

“The idea is that this use generates a payment that can benefit the countries and communities where this biodiversity comes from. This is a very complex issue, but it is absolutely critical,” said Mr. Bello.

Indigenous peoples

The Convention on Biological Diversity also recognises the importance of indigenous peoples' traditional knowledge and delegates in Cali are focusing on how to “ensure that indigenous peoples can have all the recognition and conditions so that their contributions to biodiversity conservation are duly acknowledged,” added Mr. Bello.

The role of Afro-descendant peoples who contribute to the conservation and restoration and sustainable use of biodiversity is also being discussed.

Expectations

Progress is expected on many fronts by the end of this week. “Something very important that could come out of this summit is the recognition that actions to restore ecosystems are fundamental to tackling the climate crisis,” said the UNEP representative, adding that it is important “to make a direct, clear and unequivocal connection between biodiversity and climate change.”