Today marks the beginning of the Sixteenth Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Cali, Colombia. This year’s summit comes with an urgent mission under the theme Peace With Nature, reflecting the ever-growing need to reconcile human activity with the preservation of biodiversity. As the first biodiversity COP since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) in December 2022, this meeting serves as a critical checkpoint on the path to halting the ongoing loss of species and ecosystems by 2030.
A Framework of Ambitious Targets
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework laid down 23 ambitious targets aimed at addressing the biodiversity crisis. These include safeguarding 30% of the planet’s land and seas, halving the risk from pesticides, and restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030. These goals acknowledge the alarming scale of the problem: the destruction of nature is accelerating at unprecedented levels, threatening the very systems that sustain human life.
Scientific data underscores the severity of the situation. Habitat destruction from intensive agriculture and urban expansion, over-exploitation of resources like fish and timber, climate change, pollution from pesticides and plastics, and invasive species have pushed ecosystems to the brink. In turn, humanity’s well-being is at risk, as people rely on biodiversity for essentials like food, medicine, climate regulation, and protection from extreme events.
National Commitments: Progress and Gaps
One of the primary tasks at COP 16 will be assessing the alignment of national strategies with the GBF. Parties to the CBD are expected to show how their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) fit within the framework’s goals. However, progress has been uneven. As of mid-October, only around 30 nations, including the European Union, had submitted comprehensive plans, with over 90 countries revealing only partial targets.
The emblematic “30 by 30” goal, which aims to protect 30% of the planet’s land and seas by 2030, highlights both the ambition and the challenge of the framework. Currently, just 17.5% of land and 8.35% of seas are protected, only slightly above the numbers reported at the end of 2022.
The Financing Gap: A Key Sticking Point
Financing the preservation of biodiversity remains one of the most contentious issues at COP 16. While countries from the Global North and South agreed in Montreal to establish a new biodiversity fund under the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the fund remains severely underfunded. So far, only $260 million has been pledged—far from the amounts needed to make significant headway. The Kunming-Montreal framework calls for $200 billion annually from all sources, including $20 billion in official development assistance by 2025 and $30 billion by 2030.
Colombia’s Environment Minister Susana Muhamad, who presides over COP 16, has called on wealthier nations to increase their contributions. Her plea resonates with developing countries, many of which bear the burden of biodiversity loss but lack the financial resources to address it. The discussions at COP 16 will likely reignite debates over whether a separate fund for biodiversity should be established, with some fearing that disagreements could derail the conference’s broader goals.
A Moment for Global Leadership
COP 16 in Cali is more than just another international conference; it is a pivotal moment for governments, businesses, and civil society to take concrete steps toward protecting the planet’s biodiversity. The theme Peace With Nature speaks to the urgency of this moment: we must find ways to coexist sustainably with the ecosystems that support life on Earth. The coming days will reveal whether the world’s leaders are ready to meet this challenge with the seriousness it deserves.
