The 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 16) was conducted from 21st October to 1st November 2024 in Cali, Colombia.
- The theme of the conference was “Peace with Nature “.
- It was the first Biodiversity COP since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) at COP 15 in December 2022 in Montreal, Canada.
- The conference’s main goal was to assess progress on the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF), which set targets to protect 30% of global land and sea areas and restore 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030.
Key Points
i.The aim of the COP 16 was to develop a monitoring framework and advance resource mobilization for the Global Biodiversity Framework as well as finalize and execute the multilateral mechanism on the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources.
ii.It was attended by participants from over 190 countries and brought together governments, observer organizations, indigenous communities, businesses, youth groups, civil society, academia, and the general public.
Note
COP16 was scheduled to be held in Turkey, but the country withdrew as host in July 2023 after the devastating earthquakes of February 2023.
India’s Commitment to Global Biodiversity Conservation
Union Minister of State for Environment, Forests and Climate Change(MoEFCC)Kirti Vardhan Singh delivered the national statement regarding the conservation of biological resources in the 16th meeting of the Conference of Parties (CoP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity, in Cali, Colombia on 29th October 2024.
- He highlighted that in order to promote conservation of biological diversity, the Prime Minister launched a nation-wide tree plantation campaign in 2024 known as ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ or ‘Plant4Mother’ on the occasion of World Environment Day.
- He also mentioned about India’s mission of Lifestyle for the Environment (LiFE) which is an India led Global mass movement for adopting environment friendly lifestyles.
- Moreover, he addressed that India’s efforts in rejuvenating our sacred river Ganga through ‘Namami Gange’ Mission was recognized by United Nations as one of the top 10 World Restoration Flagships to revive the riverine ecosystem.
India’s Significant Step on Big Cat Conservation & Sustainable Living
Union Minister of State for Environment, Kirti Vardhan Singh, has emphasized upon India’s commitment towards protecting its own as well as global biodiversity for the present and future generations.
- India has taken a significant step in global wildlife conservation by setting up the International Big Cat Alliance(IBCA) to protect the world’s seven major big cat species for preserving ecosystems and enriched biodiversity.
India launches updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan
i.Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Kirti Vardhan Singh, released India’s updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), at the 16th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP 16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
- The document was released during a special event called ‘Roadmap for achieving the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) targets and release of India’s updated NBSAP’, on 30th October 2024.
- Kirti Vardhan Singh stated that the updated NBSAP is a roadmap to address the strategies to stop and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, with a longer-term vision of living in harmony with nature by 2050.
- This framework includes a three–tier institutional structure comprising the National Biodiversity Authority, State Biodiversity Boards, and local Biodiversity Management Committees, ensuring effective implementation at all levels.
ii.India had adopted the ‘Whole-of-Government’ and ‘Whole-of-Society’ approach in updating its NBSAP.
iii. The updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) consists of 23 national targets aligned with the 23 global goals set under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
iv.It’s goal is to protect at least 30% of its terrestrial, inland water, and coastal and marine areas and the loss of highly biodiverse areas to reach zero by 2030, in line with global biodiversity targets.
vi.On the whole, India has set its biodiversity goals in three main areas.
- The first theme of ‘Reducing Threats to Biodiversity’ includes eight targets. The first five targets directly advocate major threats to biodiversity: Land and sea use changes, pollution, species overuse, climate change, and invasive alien species.
India spells out finance needs for biodiversity, conservation
i.India also needs substantial financial support to meet the recently established targets.
ii.The country reviewed the national biodiversity expenditure to map the government expenditure on biodiversity-related schemes.
iii.The annual average attributable biodiversity expenditure for the period 2018-22 (FY), was estimated to be Rs 32,207.13 crore.
iv.To achieve the targets in the 2025 to 2030, the projected annual average expenditure is estimated to be Rs 81,664.88 crore.
World’s first of its kind Global Ecosystem Atlas launched at COP16
The Global Ecosystems Atlas at the 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) has been launched to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on 22nd October 2024.
- This tool, developed by the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), is the first of its kind to focus on mapping and monitoring ecosystems around the world.
- The new initiative aims to help governments, businesses, financial institutions, and local communities to make informed decisions, support sustainability and monitor risks.
About the Atlas
i.It is an open-source repository that integrates existing high-quality ecosystem maps with new map and is formed by using the latest Earth observation technology, artificial intelligence, field data.
- It has been validated and harmonized with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Global Ecosystem Typology.
ii.It provides important information about the health and risks facing various ecosystems, which can help governments, businesses, financial institutions and local communities make better decisions for sustainable management.
iii.This tool will help to reduce major global issues such as loss of biodiversity, climate change and land degradation and provides essential data that has often been missing.
Protected Planet Report 2024
The Protected Planet Report 2024 by UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN )highlights that global efforts to protect 30% of Earth’s land and ocean by 2030 are progressing, though acceleration is needed.The report was developed by UNEP-WCMC experts in partnership with IUCN and its World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA).
- As of 2024, 17.6% of land and freshwater and 8.4% of marine areas are designated as protected.
- Since 2020, the protected areas expanded by the equivalent of twice Colombia’s size, yet this represents only a 0.5% increase in both domains.
- The Protected Planet Report 2024 is the first official evaluation of global progress on all elements of Target 3 since the Framework was adopted in 2022.
UN COP16 biodiversity summit agrees to establish Indigenous subsidiary body
i.After two weeks of negotiations, delegates of the UN COP16 summit agreed to establish a subsidiary body that will include Indigenous peoples in future decisions on nature conservation.
- This acknowledgment marks a turning point in integrating Indigenous and local knowledge systems within global biodiversity policy, aligning with Article 8J of the CBD.
ii.The delegates also agreed that the major corporations will provide the financial benefits of research when using natural genetic resources.
- COP16’s acknowledgment of Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local communities’ traditional knowledge fulfills a “26-year historical debt” under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), recognizing their vital role in sustainable biodiversity practices.
iii.The Indigenous body will be formed by two co-chairs elected by COP: one nominated by U.N. parties of the regional group, and the other nominated by representatives of Indigenous peoples and local communities, the AP saw in the final document.
- At least one of the co-chairs will be selected from a developing country, taking into account gender balance.
World lags on 2030 nature goals headed into UN COP16 talks
i.The world in 2022 decided to prevent the destruction of nature by 2030 but two years later, countries are already behind on meeting their goals.
- Experts are facing challenges in assessing the progress toward the “30 by 30” target of protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030.
ii.A primary cause for lagging for countries and companies is how to pay for conservation, with the COP16 talks aiming to develop new initiatives that could generate revenues for nature.
iii.Most of the countries have yet to submit national conservation plans, known officially as National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), though they had agreed to do so by the start of COP16.
- 31 out of 195 countries had filed a plan to the United Nations (U.N.) biodiversity secretariat as of now.
iv. European nations, Australia, Japan, China, South Korea and Canada having filed their plans in time.
v.Another 73 countries had opted to only file a less ambitious submission that sets out their national targets, without details of how they would be achieved.
vi.Poorer countries have been facing difficulty in finding the funding and expertise needed to develop national biodiversity plans.
COP16 suspended without agreement on new fund for nature
i.The 16th United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16) in Cali, Colombia, concluded without an agreement on a new fund to protect nature, that ended the discussions for now.
- Though the talks ran 12 hours past schedule, a lack of quorum led the suspension of the session as several negotiators had already left.
- A resumption date is yet to be set.
ii.Currently, around USD 400 million has been pledged to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF).
About International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Established: 1948
Headquarters: Gland, Switzerland
President – Razan Al Mubarak
About United Nations
Secretary-General – António Guterres
Headquarters– New York, United States of America (USA)
Founded – 1945
Member States – 193
