Breaking past the Earth’s natural limits for biodiversity is expected to have tremendous impacts on climate and environmental security. Biodiversity loss has been linked to mass migration, pandemics, intensified conflicts and the loss of livelihoods and food safety.
In the last two weeks, the 16th UN biodiversity summit (COP16) took place in Cali, Colombia. The convention featured 170 delegations for 12 days of discussion aimed at halting biodiversity loss worldwide. High on the agenda was implementing the goal of conserving 30% of the planet by 2030 (30x30), agreed upon at the previous COP15 in Montreal. However, lagging interest in conservation efforts and difficulties in reaching a consensus during the conference left the world without a clear plan to finance and enact biodiversity conservation moving forward. COP parties urgently need to gather the necessary funding to mitigate biodiversity loss and its impact on climate and environmental security.
The impacts of biodiversity loss are already being felt today with almost 600 billion US dollars of annual global crops endangered by pollinator loss and between 100-300 million people being at increased risk of floods and hurricanes due to coastal habitat loss. Yet, 80% of parties failed to meet the deadline to produce concrete action plans, with many blaming a lack of funding and time in the face of more pressing issues. Meanwhile parties also failed to meet the 20 billion US dollar minimum contribution needed to preserve biodiversity in low- and middle-income countries.
There were high hopes that the creation of a permanent global fund gathering these 20 billion US dollars a year could stimulate the fast and large-scale conservation efforts needed to meet targets. But negotiations over funding came to a stalemate and the creation of a permanent fund has been delayed to an intersessional meeting next year.
Nonetheless, the summit did result in key decisions on Digital Sequencing Information (DSI), genetic information often originating from organisms in 'Global South’ countries. The COP16 documents urged companies using this information to contribute 1% of their profits to the Cali Fund, a new fund for conservation and development in countries with fragile ecosystems. However, non-contributing companies are not required to prove that they do not use DSI, meaning contributions remain voluntary and will bring less funding than ‘Global South’ parties had hoped.
Another COP16 outcome is the formation of a new subsidiary body for Indigenous Peoples and People of African descent and their communities. It recognizes these groups as key stewards of nature and provides a permanent platform for them to participate in decisions on biodiversity and increase dialogue between themselves and national governments.
While key progress was made for biodiversity preservation at COP16, the de-prioritisation of biodiversity issues by countries, particularly financially, creates a worrisome roadblock. Prof Rob Brooker, head of the ecological sciences at the James Hutton Institute says:
COP organisers and participants will need to raise the profile of biodiversity loss, including during the more mediated COP on climate change next week, to incentivize funding commitments and prevent looming impacts on human security.
Suggestions for further reading:
COP16: Key outcomes agreed at the UN biodiversity conference in Cali, Colombia - Carbon Brief
COP16 Outcome: With Biodiversity Talks Stalled, What's Next? | World Resources Institute
COP16: Landmark biodiversity agreements adopted | UN News
"30-by-30": Key takeaways from the COP15 biodiversity summit | Reuters
This article was written by Esther Fütterer, an intern with the Planetary Security Initiative.