COP 16: Global Summit Set to Tackle Biodiversity Crisis with Bold Action

The Sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will take place from Monday, October 21st to Friday, November 1st, 2024, in Colombia. The CBD is a global treaty that legally binds countries to the conservation of biodiversity. It includes all forms of life on Earth, from ecosystems to microorganisms, and aims to advance human well-being while safeguarding biodiversity.

This pivotal summit will be the first global assessment since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at COP 15, and it promises to drive significant progress in halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030.

At COP 15, participating countries and regional organisations committed to a global strategy for nature conservation, including a landmark 30×30 framework that aims to protect 30% of the planet’s land and oceans and restore 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030. The 23 targets within this framework focus on addressing habitat and species loss, pollution, and sustainable resource use.

COP 16 will see countries report on their progress in integrating the COP 15 framework into National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), showcasing national initiatives to protect ecosystems and species. Key themes at the conference will include strengthening mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation, enhancing resource mobilisation, and supporting multilateral efforts to ensure equitable benefits from genetic resources research. The role of Indigenous Peoples as custodians of biodiversity will also be a central focus.

ERF Grantees and Partners Lead the Way

The Ecological Restoration Fund (ERF) is proud to support several organisations that will play influential roles at COP 16, showcasing innovative projects and strategies aimed at conserving and restoring biodiversity:

• ClientEarth: ClientEarth will advocate for the robust implementation of environmental laws essential to safeguarding ecosystems and fostering sustainable development. Ioannis Agapakis, a ClientEarth lawyer states “We urgently need binding tools that embed nature at the heart of all national decision-making and sectoral laws. Simultaneously, we need countries to get serious about the effectiveness of their conservation and restoration measures, and deliver tangible, measurable outcomes that demonstrate real progress in safeguarding biodiversity.”
• Birdlife International – Through the “Message of Hope” campaign, BirdLife International aims to inspire global citizens to advocate for strong commitments at the summit. BirdLife CEO, Martin Harper, will lead a delegation of 25 BirdLife Partners that are urging Parties to include mechanisms for species conservation, integrate Key Biodiversity Areas into national strategies, and enhance synergies between climate and biodiversity actions. They also advocate for strong support of Indigenous Peoples’ rights and leadership through accountability commitments and direct financing. Additionally, they call on Parties to incorporate GBF goals into sectoral policies across climate, health, agriculture, and other critical areas, and to pursue sustainable financing mechanisms for cross-border ecological restoration.
• The Wildlife Trusts – Will be represented by their Director for Landscape Recovery, Rob Stoneman, and CEO, Craig Bennett. The Trusts have highlighted the UK’s poor progress on domestic environmental targets and call for accelerated action to meet global targets and reverse nature loss. Their newly published report, Local to Global – the Global Biodiversity Framework and what the UK needs to do to implement it outlines steps needed for the UK to meet global targets and reverse nature loss by the decade’s end.
• Oceans 5: At COP 16, Oceans 5 and their partners will build political momentum for the rapid ratification and implementation of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, also known as the High Seas Treaty. At Oceans 5 events, leaders from government and civil society may announce new initiatives aimed at protecting marine biodiversity in international waters and securing the ratifications needed for the treaty to take effect by June 2025.
• Representing ERF grantees, Rewilding Europe, Rewilding Chile and the Beaver Trust, Global Rewilding Alliance will highlight the intersection of biodiversity and climate action.
• Rewilding Chile: In collaboration with Yale University, Rewilding Chile will present a study on restoring guanaco and puma populations in Patagonia National Park. They will also support Chile’s leadership in the High Seas Treaty and explore collaborations to expand rewilding across the Andean region and the southern oceans.

• World Land Trust (WLT): With over 15 of their current partners expected to attend, the event will serve as a vital platform for reinforcing alliances and fostering new relationships that support their conservation goals. WLT will connect with many of their existing grantees (which include some funded by ERF via WLD). This will provide a valuable opportunity to strengthen partnerships and collaborate on shared conservation goals. They will also explore potential new partnerships.

Inspiring Hope and Urgency

COP 16 presents a crucial opportunity to foster international cooperation on halting biodiversity loss. By focusing on critical issues such as restoring key biodiversity areas and closing the funding gap for conservation efforts in developing countries, COP 16 aims to inspire collective action and transformative change. The participation of ERF grantees at the conference highlights our shared commitment to collaborative efforts that drive impactful environmental conservation on a global scale. Many of our grantees attending the conference will be sharing their insights and hopes for the event through blogs and other media, and we plan to repost many of these updates on our LinkedIn feed.