BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) – Global negotiators have concluded an extension session for COP16, the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, with the funds needed and a key commitment on the institutions where funds are guided to protect global biodiversity.
The country agreed on how to donate $200 billion a year by 2030, which was in principle committed at a previous conference in Montreal. The funding includes plans for annual conservation funding in developing countries by 2025, with the aim of increasing the number to $300 billion per year by 2030, with 30% of the planet and 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030.
Earlier this week, the state also agreed to create the Cali Fund. This agreed to create an industry method that would benefit commercially from biodiversity and contribute to its conservation.
Climate protesters will take part in a protest holding the signs that read “Tax Fossil, Protect Biodiversity” as the ongoing COP16 Biodiversity Conference in Rome continues on Tuesday, February 25th, 2025. (Cecilia Fabiano/laplesse via ap)
When the meeting ended late Thursday in Rome, participants rose to praise the results.
“Applause is for you,” said Susana Muhamad, president of COP16, Colombia.
The conclusion of COP16 was the first UN conference of months, and ended with a positive note. Various meetings Throughout the last year, which has been linked to dealing with global plastic pollution, climate change, and the previous Biodiversity Conference itself, contracts have either failed to reach them or remained disappointed by the outcomes reached by many stakeholders.
Muhammad, former Environment Minister of Colombia, said: Muhammad said it was a collective effort of all stakeholders, which led to a key decision being agreed. “Only by working together we can make peace with nature a reality,” she said.
The forest boundary is located on Combaku Creek on the island of Kombu on the banks of the Guama River near Belem, Para, Brazil on August 6, 2023 (AP Photo/Morado Perez, File)
The two-day meeting addressed an issue that had not been resolved in previous discussions It was held in Kari, In late 2024, Columbia will focus on securing funds to meet the ambitious targets set in Montreal in 2022.
Linda Krueger, director of Nature Conservancy’s Biodiversity & Infrastructure Policy, said at Cali, many parties felt that the funds created to support biodiversity did not meet the original goals they wanted. However, in Rome, negotiators were able to agree to a financial “roadmap” that allowed the body to fulfill its original duties.
“In a complex geopolitical moment, this is an exciting show of progress and international cooperation for nature,” she said. “In technocratics they may hear, these are details that turn paper ambitions into tangible conservation behaviors on the ground.”
Oscarsolia, chief executive of think tank Common Initiative, said the UN negotiator’s decision marked “positive steps” to fund biodiversity efforts, set clear goals and set review processes.
“However, effectiveness depends on the implementation of the commitment, availability of funding, and the political will of the country to increase its contribution,” he added.
On June 18, 2024, antelope runs as you move through South Sudan’s national parks and surrounding areas (AP photo/Brian Inganga, File)
While key issues related to fundraising were finally resolved at an extension meeting in Rome, the COP16 talks in Colombia concluded in November and created several notable agreements, including groundbreaking deals requiring companies that benefit from natural genetic resources, such as developing medicines from rainforests, to share their benefits. Also progress has been made to strengthen the role of Indigenous people and communities in conservation efforts.
Scientists say biodiversity is essential to providing clean air, water and food while maintaining a balanced ecosystem and supporting climate resilience. It also promotes medical discovery, economic stability, and the happiness of all life on Earth.
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An earlier version of the report incorrectly stated that the meeting ended on Wednesday.
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