BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM
The United Nations Conference on Biodiversity (COP16) closed with a revolutionary agreement to formally integrate Indigenous peoples in nature protection decisions, marking a watershed moment in environmental history. The decision, announced in Cali, Colombia, creates a new body that will give Indigenous tribes a substantial voice in global conservation strategies. For many, this is a long-overdue recognition of the critical role that Indigenous knowledge and traditional practices play in protecting biodiversity and combatting climate change.
Following arduous talks, delegates announced the agreement to form the Indigenous body, prompting passionate celebrations among Indigenous leaders. According to Sushil Raj, Executive Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Rights and Communities Global Program, this new organization “strengthens representation, coordination, inclusive decision making, and creates a space for dialogue with parties to the COP.” This action strengthens Indigenous representation in international debates and recognizes their long-standing contributions to biodiversity management.
26-year-old promise fulfilled
The inclusion of Indigenous voices in biodiversity decisions is viewed as a critical step toward fulfilling obligations made under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which has been in effect for 26 years without officially involving Indigenous and local people. Susana Muhamad, Colombia’s environment minister and COP16 president, welcomed the decision, saying, “With this decision, the value of traditional knowledge of Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, and local communities is recognized, and a 26-year-old historical debt in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is settled.”
The Indigenous body will be co-chaired by two representatives: one elected by regional UN parties and the other by Indigenous and local communities. In order to ensure diversity and inclusion, the agreement requires that at least one co-chair come from a developing nation, with gender balance taken into account.
Sharing the benefits of nature’s DNA
Another significant achievement of COP16 was a binding rule mandating firms to share the financial gains from using natural genetic resources in their products. This provision, which resulted from difficult talks between industrialized and developing countries, mandates firms to pay a charge when using genetic information derived from animals, plants, or microorganisms for commercial purposes.
As Toerris Jaeger, Executive Director of Rainforest Foundation Norway, noted, “Many of the life-saving medicines we use today come from the rainforest. It is therefore right that a portion of the income companies generate from this information goes back to protect nature.” COP16 imposed a 0.1 percent revenue fee for firms that use these genetic resources, with 50 percent of the proceeds going to Indigenous people. Ginette Hemley, Senior Vice President for Wildlife at the World Wildlife Fund, added, “This will enable these communities, including women and youth, to finally share in the profits.”
Managing biodiversity’s impact on health
As biodiversity loss accelerates, environmental groups have become more concerned about the health concerns presented by ecosystem degradation and loss of ecological integrity. During COP16, delegates agreed on measures that directly address the effects of biodiversity loss on human and animal health, recognizing that ecosystem preservation is critical to global public health protection.
A mixed outcome for funding commitments
Despite these substantial accomplishments, COP16 fell short of obtaining the financial commitments required to effectively address global biodiversity loss. During the two-week conference, a meager $163 million in fresh promises were announced, significantly less than the billions of dollars estimated by experts to be required to combat biodiversity decline. Nicola Sorsby, a researcher at the International Institute for Environment and Development, criticized the lack of urgency in funding, stating, “The pledges made…were way off where they need to be. This is only 0.5% of the target we need to reach within the next six years.”
Brian O’Donnell, Director of the Campaign for Nature, shared these worries, saying, “Too many countries and U.N. officials came to Cali without the urgency and level of ambition needed to secure outcomes at COP16 to address our species’ most urgent existential issue.” Although wealthier nations promised to increase yearly conservation money for developing countries to $20 billion by 2025 and $30 billion by 2030 at the last Montreal summit, the immediate financial pledges announced during COP16 show that there is still a long way to go.
Building upon the 2022 Accord
The Cali meeting builds on the momentum of the historic 2022 biodiversity agreement in Montreal, in which world leaders pledged to protect 30 percent of the earth and restore 30 percent of degraded ecosystems by 2030. This lofty aim, known as “30×30,” remains a guiding target for worldwide conservation efforts, and the new measures adopted at COP16 are viewed as reinforcing that commitment.
In addition to establishing the Indigenous body, delegates in Cali passed a resolution acknowledging the importance of individuals of African heritage in biodiversity conservation. As the world grapples with the consequences of climate change and biodiversity loss, these inclusive approaches seek to foster more comprehensive, long-term conservation methods.
The way forward for conservation
While COP16 was a huge step forward in the struggle to safeguard biodiversity, the lack of strong financial support for these measures highlights the challenges that remain. The findings of this meeting are anticipated to impact future UN climate discussions, which will move the focus to supporting renewable energy projects to combat climate change. As the globe grapples with the pressing need to fund and implement successful environmental initiatives, COP16 serves as both a step forward in engaging underrepresented voices in conservation and a reminder of the financial obstacles that remain.
