Everything on the table at COP16

Delegates from around the world will come together from Oct. 21 to Nov. 1 for the 16th United Nations Conference on Biological Diversity, or COP16, in Cali, Colombia, to discuss global progress on protecting the natural world and its variety. COP16 is expected to be the biggest and most well-attended out of all the biodiversity COPs to date. The World Resources Institute, which sent two or three attendees to COP15 in Montreal two years ago, will have around 40 individuals on the ground this year. “It’s really been a process in the shadows of the climate process for many years,” said Crystal Davis, the global director of the Food, Land and Water Program at the World Resources Institute. “But this year, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are more people at COP 16 than the climate COP 29 in Baku.” Biodiversity’s moment in the sun is coming as nature is at its most threatened. Wildlife numbers fell by 73% between 1970 and 2020, according to a report from the World Wild Fund for Nature, or WWF, although many researchers say the numbers are more complex. Colombia, one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, was selected as the host country after Turkey dropped out due to multiple devastating earthquakes. But the choice of Colombia has come under criticism due to the country’s history of suppressing environmental activists. Colombia was the deadliest country for environmental activists in 2022, ranking as the country with the highest number of nature defenders killed, according to a report from Global Witness. On the negotiation side, experts will be paying close attention to the financial commitments and country plans to carry out the historic Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, or GBF, established at COP15. There will also be discussions about who owns nature’s DNA, Indigenous peoples’ involvement in policy-making, and how to deal with nature crime and legality. Here’s what you’ll want to keep an eye on: A focus on finance The big number on everyone’s mind going into COP16 in Colombia is $20 billion by 2025. In 2022, during COP15 in Montreal, signatories agreed on the first major financial deadline for biodiversity — providing at least $20 billion per year by 2025 to restore biodiversity in low- and middle-income nations. But so far, not so good. A recent report showed that out of 28 countries, 23 had paid less than half of their pledged amount. In June, there was an $11.6 billion gap to the target. The majority of the deficit came from five countries: Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, and Spain. Only Norway and Sweden have so far paid their full share. Experts are keeping a close eye on the negotiations surrounding the $20 billion goal because the climate COP — COP29 in Azerbaijan in November — is also expected to be very finance-oriented. “It’s really the same countries digging into the same coffers for those commitments,” said Davis. “So on one hand, what we see at COP16 might be signaling the level of ambition we might see at COP29. On the other hand, it’s the same decision-making bodies in these countries that need to find additional sources of international finance.” A third COP — also a COP16 — focused on desertification, will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from Dec. 2 to Dec. 13 of this year. Activists are also calling for Indigenous people and local communities to receive direct access to some of this funding and are hoping to see that highlighted in negotiations next week. Some institutions have inclusive finance processes in place, but studies show that only a tiny fraction — less than 1% — of the funding reaches Indigenous communities. Plans, plans, and still not enough plans All parties are expected to submit new plans for how they will address biodiversity loss and protection, as well as meet the GBF goals. These National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, or NBSAPs, are the biodiversity equivalent of Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs, in the climate world. At future biodiversity COPs in 2026 and 2030, a “global review” will take place of the NBSAPs and the progress made toward them. As of Oct. 16, 2024, just 29 out of the 196 participating countries had submitted their plans. Many are expected to publish theirs during the summit. However, Marcos Neto, the United Nations Development Programme’s assistant secretary-general and director of policy, who is part of the team that is helping 70 countries design their NBSAPs, says that the delay might not be such a bad thing. He’s hoping to work with countries to integrate the NBSAP process with the climate NDCs that they will present in Baku next month. “The planning processes for the NDCs and the NBSAPs should come together,” he said. “It’s the same basic conversation and the same people, but they are answering the phone in the morning to talk about NBSAPs and again in the afternoon to talk about NDCs. The international community and organizations like UNDP must simplify these processes.” The three countries hosting this year’s COPs: Colombia, Azerbaijan, and Saudi Arabia, already agree on what they coined the “Rio Trio,” an effort to enhance collaboration across the Rio Conventions and create long-lasting coordinated efforts between climate change, biodiversity, and desertification. COP16 is likely to touch on this, Neto suggests, but it may also be mentioned at the two other COPs coming up. “There’s a request by the secretariat of the three conventions that they work on synergies. Monitoring framework In 2022, the biodiversity COP’s newly agreed monitoring framework was hailed as a breakthrough. This year, delegates are expected to get into the details to agree on data sources and tracking indicators for the 23 targets agreed upon in GBF. That includes the $20 billion goal, reform on harmful environmental subsidies, and what have been dubbed the “30 by 30” goals to protect 30% of the land and sea by 2030. “It’s a tough technical discussion on indicators,” said Davis. “Not all targets are able to be measured in a quantifiable way. Some of them will be more qualitative, some will have really robust data indicators and others will need better data. But I think whatever is agreed upon is still going to be a work in progress.” Davis also pointed out that there are different types of monitoring needed — the kind that monitors progress toward global targets, but also monitors what works and what doesn’t. “This is what we need to inform decision-making, but it’s not part of the official negotiation track,” Davis said. “I think there’s going to be a lot of conversation around that at COP16, because it’s equally if not more important.” Whose plant is it anyway? The Nagoya Protocol, adopted in 2010 under the Convention on Biological Diversity, or CBD, was designed to ensure that companies or researchers using genetic resources such as plants, animals, or microbes share the benefits with the countries and communities from which those resources originate. These genetic materials are crucial for industries including agriculture, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. For instance, around 20 marine-derived compounds are already approved for treating cancer, pain, viral infections, and heart disease. However, the rise of digital sequence information, or DSI, has complicated things. Companies and researchers can now access genetic data through online databases without needing physical samples, creating a loophole in the framework that was only designed to work for physical sample collection. At COP15 in Montreal, countries agreed to create a multilateral benefit-sharing mechanism to address this gap and ensure that nations and communities receive fair compensation when their genetic resources are used. The key question is how this mechanism will operate. Some low- and middle-income countries are advocating for a tracking and tracing system to monitor the use of genetic materials, ensuring proper compensation. Wealthier nations and researchers, on the other hand, argue this approach is impractical. An alternative under discussion is requiring companies that use DSI to contribute to a global fund, though details such as payment amounts and whether contributions will be voluntary or mandatory remain unresolved. There appeared to be growing consensus around the idea of requiring contributions from companies in DSI-reliant sectors, the International Institute for Sustainable Development, or IISD, wrote in August. “It is a very critical discussion that is going to happen in Cali,” said Christian Tiambo, a scientist with the International Livestock Research Institute, or ILRI, an expert in livestock genetics and head of ILRI’s delegation at COP16. Research on livestock genetics can help preserve local species while optimizing outputs such as milk, eggs, or meat. “We should be able to find a mechanism which is fair and equitable for both providers and users of genetic resources,” said Tiambo. “No one is an exclusive user; no one is exclusively a provider. To a certain extent, we are always users and providers,” he added. Tiambo emphasized the importance of compensating local communities without creating excessive barriers for researchers. Indigenous rights Despite comprising only 5% of the global population, Indigenous groups play a crucial role in safeguarding 80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity. Activists contend that global discussions on conservation and biodiversity are inherently incomplete without centering and amplifying Indigenous voices. Concerns have also been raised regarding specific objectives, particularly the 30 by 30 target, as this could potentially threaten Indigenous communities. Activists warn that without proper safeguards, a significant portion of the protected areas could see indigenous inhabitants forcibly removed. Rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have warned that the 30 by 30 objectives could “devastate the lives of Indigenous Peoples.” Fiore Longo, a research and advocacy officer with Survival International, expressed concerns about the target. “We have seen in the past and in the present that many of these so-called protected areas that are set up with the goal of protecting biodiversity, in reality are literal war zones for Indigenous peoples,” she told Devex. Despite substantial scientific evidence showing that indigenous practices benefit biodiversity, mainstream conservation efforts often prioritize Western approaches, which tend to vilify human activity rather than valuing sustainable coexistence. Longo hopes there will be a shift toward protecting and demarcating indigenous lands — which she argues would not only make conservation efforts more inclusive but also, ultimately, more effective. Curbing crime Experts are also calling for this COP16 to address nature crimes such as illegal mining and starting forest fires, which are particularly common in the Amazon. Over a dozen sessions at the summit are designated to crime, including forestry crime, maritime environmental crime, financial crime, minerals crime, and wildlife crime. There are also peace and justice sessions focused on combating illegal activities and the impacts on biodiversity, monitoring, and surveillance, and the biodiversity impact of drug crime. Deforestation, illegal mining, wildlife trafficking, and land grabbing are all major issues in Colombia. In 2021, the country enacted an environmental crime law to protect the environment. They increased penalties and established criminal liability for environmental damage. The country is still struggling to combat crime that harms the environment, however, and has promised to focus on it at COP16, even giving the conference the tagline “Peace with Nature.” The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, or UNODC, will also be attending COP16 and says its involvement will “emphasize the intersection of crimes that affect the environment and biodiversity conservation.”