Countries will convene next week to assess progress on a vital biodiversity agreement made two years ago aimed at preserving the planet’s flora and fauna.
The pact, reached by 196 nations during the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, aims to protect 30% of terrestrial and marine environments by 2030, commonly referred to as 30 by 30. While this agreement was established, only 17% of land and about 10% of marine areas were safeguarded at that time, and these figures have not significantly improved since.
At the upcoming conference, known as COP16, delegates will report on advancements toward these ambitious goals. According to a report from the European Parliament, countries are likely to agree on mechanisms to ensure the commitments are honored.
The two-week event slated to take place in Cali, Colombia will also tackle initiatives to generate hundreds of billions of dollars aimed at conserving nature by 2030. This includes a planned $20 billion payment to support developing nations, which is due next year. Delegates will discuss 23 specific objectives, including reducing food waste and curbing the spread of invasive species.
Despite the urgency, significant progress remains elusive. National plans were expected from nearly 200 countries detailing their strategies to meet the 30 by 30 targets. Yet, as of this week, only 46% of countries have established targets, and fewer than 15% have presented actionable plans. Notably, Australia has not submitted any targets, while India has omitted a national plan. Brazil has also remained uncommitted with no targets or plans submitted, despite its stewardship of much of the Amazon rainforest.
The United States is not obligated to submit plans as it is not a signatory to the biodiversity convention. However, the Biden administration has pledged to safeguard one-third of the nation’s land and water resources by 2030.
Some countries are anticipated to unveil their strategies for creating or enhancing protected areas and how they will allocate biodiversity funding during the conference. Canada, for instance, has pledged $800 million towards four projects led by Indigenous communities.
Conservation organizations have expressed concern regarding the lack of detailed biodiversity strategies from many nations. Bernadette Fischler Hooper, who leads global advocacy for WWF International, described the current commitments as “disappointing.” The WWF has been monitoring progress and found that many submitted plans fail to address biodiversity loss effectively, lack necessary funding, and do not have adequate government support.
“There is urgency here,” Hooper stated. “Some nations could fairly easily update their plans. There are no valid reasons for not doing so… and other nations haven’t received the necessary support.”
Of the 91 countries that have proposed targets, a majority aim to protect at least 30% of their terrestrial areas, with about a quarter targeting between 5% and 30%. For marine areas, over one-third of these countries have set a national target to protect 30% or more, while another third aims for targets between 5% and 30%.
Astrid Schomaker, the Convention on Biological Diversity’s executive secretary, noted that the low number of submitted plans should not be surprising. Governments needed first to establish their targets before devising action plans.
“These are complex processes that require collaboration and consensus across multiple government sectors,” she explained, pointing out that achieving these objectives involves coordination among various ministries, private sector stakeholders, and communities while securing financial backing. “This kind of alignment does not happen overnight.”
Meeting the targets is particularly critical for migratory species, over 40% of which are experiencing declines according to a U.N. report. Jennifer George, who oversees the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership, highlighted that migratory birds do not recognize protected area boundaries and move according to their feeding and nesting necessities.
Financing is expected to be a contentious topic at the biodiversity conference, similar to U.N. climate discussions.
Developing countries have advocated for a requirement that $200 billion be raised annually by 2030 from various sources to fund biodiversity-related initiatives. Wealthier nations have committed to providing developing countries with $20 billion starting next year, gradually increasing to $30 billion by 2030.
Despite a report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development indicating that development finance for biodiversity more than doubled between 2015 and 2022, the global commitment still fell short by 23% of the initial $20 billion goal.
Advocates insist that funding is essential, particularly as regions most in need of protection are often in developing nations, many in Africa.
“There have been advancements, but is it enough? No,” remarked Susan Lieberman, vice president of international policy at Wildlife Conservation Society. “Some countries are genuinely prioritizing this, while others acknowledge the need but lament a lack of funding.”
In addition to addressing high-priority biodiversity targets, the conference will examine goals to prevent human-induced extinction of at-risk species and reduce extinction rates tenfold by 2050. The objectives also aim to boost the population of native wild species to healthy levels.
However, conservationists argue that these goals are vague and hope for more defined metrics to be established during the meeting.
“Many of the other targets need precise definitions and quantifiable metrics, like halting species extinctions,” said Stuart Pimm, an ecologist from Duke University. “Currently, they are too ambiguous.”
Countries are set to emphasize the significance of biodiversity in mitigating climate change and in health, notably in preventing future pandemics.
The agenda will also address the potential establishment of a global framework to ensure equitable sharing of benefits derived from digital data related to genetic materials sourced from plants, animals, bacteria, and viruses, which are often utilized to develop commercial products, including pharmaceuticals.
