After three days of intense negotiations in Rome that broke a stalemate from a 2024 summit, nations have reached an agreement on a plan to deliver funding to protect wildlife in some of the world’s poorest countries.
Delegates stood and clapped as the decision was adopted well into the final hour of the extended UN Biodiversity Conference.
“The applause is for all of you. You have done an amazing job,” said COP16 President Susana Muhamad of Colombia.
Brian O’Donnell, director of the global movement Campaign for Nature described the decision as “very welcome” after years of negotiations. “In these turbulent times, it is inspiring to see 196 countries come together and overcome differences and national challenges to reach a shared solution.”
Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity at last year’s COP16 conference in Cali, Colombia, had been unable to reach a consensus on how to deliver financing of $200 billion (€192.5 billion) a year to fund biodiversity initiatives worldwide by 2030.
Opening the talks in the Italian capital this week, former Colombian minister of the environment Mohamed had urged delegates to work together “for something that probably is the most important purpose of humanity in the 21st century, which is our collective capacity to sustain life on this planet.”
Why did the Cali talks not deliver?
One of the main sticking points was over the mechanisms in place to deliver funding for biodiversity protection particularly to poorer nations.
Developing countries, led by Brazil and the African Group, wanted to see the creation of a new fund that would address their needs in ways they said existing financial mechanisms do not.
Florian Titze, international policy analyst at wildlife preservation NGO WWF Germany, said applying for international funds under current rules can be difficult.
“For the least developed countries that don’t have a lot of capacity, sometimes it’s very challenging to go through these processes and it’s time consuming. It’s not very efficient,” he told DW.
Wealthy nations, led by the European Union, Japan, and Canada meanwhile, warned that multiple funds can fragment aid. They also highlighted the need for accountability on spending.
“The argument of the North is obviously that ‘it’s our taxpayers’ money so we cannot just give it to you and you do with it what you want.’ So domestic political issues also come into that,” Titze explained.
While the new decision does not specify a new finance mechanism, it outlines a path to decide on the institutions that will deliver funding in the coming years.
“This is a good and very important success. It shows that despite big disagreements and different views, and even with the resulting strong emotions, the global community can still come together, pull up their sleeves, and work out their differences,” said Titze.
Why does biodiversity need to be protected?
Biodiversity is essential for the health of the planet, but also for sustaining human life. Experts estimate that more than 75% of food crops rely on insects and other species for pollination and that around half of modern medicines are derived from natural resources.
In addition, forests and ocean habitats absorb huge amounts of carbon dioxide, helping to mitigate the effects of rising global temperatures.
However, scientists warn that species are disappearing at an increasingly alarming pace, with one report detailing how the average size of wildlife populations has fallen by around 73% between 1970 and 2020.
Experts blame human activities, like unsustainable agricultural practices, deforestation and the spread of pollution, for the decline. They say the natural world could be reaching tipping points linked to “irreversible and catastrophic” impacts for people and nature.
“We make the mistake of seeing [biodiversity] as a niche topic and something that isn’t politically crucial,” Titze said. “When we look at our societies, our economies, our security, even health, all of these things are underpinned by nature.”
Increasing visibility around the biodiversity crisis
Over the past years, countries have begun to take biodiversity loss more seriously. At a UN summit in 2022, leaders reached a landmark agreement laying out ambitious goals to protect 30% of land and marine areas by the end of the decade. They also agreed to restore 30% of degraded areas in the same period.
To track progress towards the goals, governments had to submit National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) by October last year. Four months on, 46 out of 196 parties have entered their submissions, plus the UK, which became the last G7 nation to release its strategy at the beginning of the summit in Rome. But the list does not include the US, which is one of only two countries — the other being the Vatican — not party to the United Nations biodiversity convention.
“The fact that almost every government in the world is showing up and really taking this seriously is encouraging to me,” said Jill Hepp biodiversity policy lead at nonprofit Conservation International.
“I think it speaks to the fact that biodiversity is not just about the charismatic species — while those are important — but there’s a lot of consideration of the importance of nature for providing food and water and clean air,” she added.
