ISSUES FOR COP16 IN CALI AND THEIR LINKS TO THE FFEM STRATEGY: CONVERGING TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
published on 21 October 2024
From 21 October to 1 November 2024, Colombia will be hosting the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16), in the city of Cali. The parties will be meeting for the first time since the Kunming-Montreal Agreement of 2022 with its ambitious targets for protecting biodiversity. This conference will be an opportunity to assess progress on implementing the Global Biodiversity Framework. In response to the urgency of the triple planetary crisis, the FFEM is supporting groundbreaking initiatives that address biodiversity, climate and pollution issues while engaging local communities and promoting innovative finance. The FFEM is thus contributing towards several targets in the Global Biodiversity Framework.
The intersection between biodiversity, climate and pollution: a key element in the FFEM strategy
The FFEM focuses its work on the intersection between environmental issues, recognising the close links between limiting climate change, protecting biodiversity and controlling terrestrial and marine pollution. By supporting projects that address all three, the FFEM is putting into practice just what COP16 is calling for: a systemic approach with sustainable ecosystem management playing a key role in climate regulation and preservation of natural resources. The FFEM and its partners support initiatives that promote this synergy between biodiversity, climate (Target 8) and pollution control (Target 7). These include projects in ecosystem preservation, particularly at sea (e.g. EXPLOI, BeMed), agro-ecology (e.g. Alianza Mais, Cacao d’Excellence) and pollution control (e.g. Mercury in the Guiana Shield), along with ones applying the One Health approach to people, animals and ecosystems (e.g. FoFauPopU).
Stéphanie Bouziges-Eschmann, FFEM Secretary General confirms:
Addressed in the form of an integrated approach to the component parts of the environmental crisis, this convergence plays an essential role in selecting those projects that will receive FFEM support. There is one simple reason for this: climate change, pollution, land and ocean degradation and biodiversity loss all share the same root cause of unsustainable human activity and feed off each other in a downward spiral.
Communities at the heart of solutions: a commitment shared by the FFEM
One of the priorities for COP16 and Colombia’s presidency is making communities central to discussions (Target 22) to protect their well-being and that of their environment. This is closely aligned with the inclusive approach taken by the FFEM, which views these communities as guardians of global biodiversity, as demonstrated in the Amazon projects Vital Reserves and TerrIndigena. Whether in sustainable management of the Pacific Forest in Colombia or in mangrove restoration in Costa Rica and Benin, it is vital to involve local communities to ensure lasting results and to combine environmental protection with development. The local communities are actively involved in implementation of these projects and derive net socio-economic benefits.
Innovative finance for nature and climate: a core focus for the FFEM
Massive investment will be required to address the scale of the environmental challenges, and in addition to conventional finance the conference will need to promote innovative financial mechanisms (Target 19).
An effective contribution to the targets in the Global Biodiversity Framework
Through integrating the different dimensions of the environmental crisis, the FFEM is actively helping to achieve most of the objectives of the Global Biodiversity Framework. It stands out due to its inclusive and participatory approach, with the emphasis on science and innovation and promoting shared governance with local communities.
The FFEM’s major contributions include:
- Target 2 (restoration): several mangrove restoration projects.
- Target 3 (protecting 30% of land and 30% of the oceans): support for innovative conservation measures rooted in equitable shared governance (Target 22), innovative financial mechanisms (Target 19) and stakeholder capacity building (Target 20).
- Targets 7 (pollution) and 8 (climate change): focusing on the intersection between biodiversity, climate and pollution.
- Target 12 (urban green spaces): flagship projects featuring urban nature-based solutions.
- Targets 5, 9 and 10 (sustainable management of species and areas, and socio-economic benefits): these issues are central to the FFEM’s mandate to reconcile preservation of the global environment with socio-economic development.
Through practical examples, FFEM-supported projects show the need for integrated and inclusive approaches backed by innovative finance, which work for nature and communities and towards a sustainable, resilient and equitable future. The international momentum started by COP16 on Biodiversity will be sustained by COP29 on Climate, COP16 on Desertification and the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to combat plastic pollution (INC-5). These will all provide opportunities to discuss the crucial interrelated challenges and to demonstrate that solutions do exist.
HIGHLIGHTS: Events involving the FFEM:
24 October
- 15:00. Chiribiquete – Asia and the Pacific meeting room (Plaza One), in partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS): Reconciling nature conservation and development: how to build an enabling environment and meet biodiversity targets https://www.cbd.int/side-events/6302
- 17:45. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Med Pavilion: Mobilising Financial Resources for Local Level Implementation of the 2030 Biodiversity Targets in the Mediterranean
27 October
- 11:00. International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) #ForCoral Pavilion, in partnership with the IUCN: Great Blue Wall: Africa’s Vision for Global Ocean Conservation https://cop16forcoral.org/event/great-blue-wall-africas-vision-for-global-ocean-conservation/
- 17:30. Conservation International Pavilion (Blue Zone): Financial innovation for the Amazon: The Amazon Business Alliance and the Biocredit
28 October
- 10:10. Nuqui – Academia & Research meeting room (Plaza One), in partnership with SANBI, OFB, AFD and WCS: Practical experience of mapping biodiversity priorities to support national implementation and monitoring of the GBF https://www.cbd.int/side-events/5699
29 October
- 11:30. Chile Pavilion (Blue Zone), in partnership with OFB and Tara Ocean Foundation: New ideas based on omics-sciences, mathematical modeling and remote sensing for ocean conservation tools
- 13:20. Farallones – Youth meeting room (Plaza One), in partnership with NatureXParis and SPAW-RAC: Caribbean MPAs managers networks lead the way: Towards a regional roadmap to reach Target 3 https://www.cbd.int/side-events/6001
