Last weekend, COP16, the largest biodiversity summit in the world, concluded in Cali, Columbia. The event consisted of lively discussions among the 170 member state delegations in attendance, with the goal of highlighting biodiversity efforts in sustainability, human prosperity, and economic growth.
The summit achieved an array of notable outcomes. National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) were highlighted as the first and necessary steps the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) must follow to achieve workable results. The adoption of modalities for Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs) in the GBF and other international agreements marked an important advancement in marine conservation.
Implementing equitable biodiversity goals and creating a permanent space for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) as a subsidiary body in decision-making on biodiversity was the biggest takeaway. State parties and Indigenous peoples will now be able to enhance their dialogue with one another and together best define development towards biodiversity goals.
However, the summit faced challenges bridging the gap between their call to action and ambitious goals. Out of the 196 national plans for biodiversity protection, only 44 have been updated to meet the ambitious 23 action-orientated targets established by the GBF by 2030. Negotiators also failed to agree on how biodiversity should integrate itself with climate change and desertification.
Vague financial promises to implement biodiversity goals were made at the end of COP 16. UN News reported that $700 billion is needed for large-scale implementation of the biodiversity framework. Due to the lack of agreement by the negotiators present, financial discussions on this matter were suspended.
As a result, COP 16 was left with a number of unresolved issues and a lack of clarity around how to financially support the fulfillment of biodiversity efforts globally.
To learn more about COP16 watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG9abmRPz8Y
