in Cali, states will have to turn their promises to stop the destruction of nature into action

The 16^e global conference on biodiversity (COP16), which begins Monday October 21 in Cali, Colombia, will not end with the signing of an agreement or completely new commitments in favor of protecting the planet. This meeting – the equivalent of the COP on the climate – is no less important: the time has come to implement the promises made two years ago in Montreal, Canada.

During COP15, in December 2022, the 196 parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity adopted the Kunming-Montreal agreement, described as the “Paris agreement” of biodiversity: it contains twenty-three targets (protect 30% of land and seas, halve the risk linked to pesticides, restore 30% of degraded areas, etc.) aiming to put an end to the loss of species and ecosystems by 2030. Measures at the height of the emergency: science has demonstrated that the destruction of nature is reaching record levels, putting humanity at risk.

“We started [à la COP15] with unprecedented commitments and understanding of the importance of biodiversity, recalled Astrid Schomaker, the executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, at the end of August. At COP16, parties will have to demonstrate that they can put their promises into action. Making peace with nature is the defining task of the 21st^e century. »

The current signals are alarming: nearly a million animal and plant species are at risk of extinction in the coming decades, populations of wild vertebrates are declining, and ecosystems are approaching dangerous tipping points. More than 6.3 million hectares of forest will still be destroyed in 2023, the equivalent of nine million football fields. The main causes of this crisis, all linked to human activities, are the destruction of habitats (particularly due to intensive agriculture and urbanization), overexploitation (fishing, wood, hunting, etc.), climate change, pollution (pesticides, plastic, etc.) and invasive species. However, human populations depend on species and ecosystems for food, heating, healthcare, regulating the climate, coping with extreme events and ensuring their well-being.

“Reasons to be disappointed”

The first objective of the Cali conference will be to take stock of the progress made over the past two years. The countries had committed to presenting, before COP16, their new national strategies, supposed to reflect the commitments made in the global framework. But by mid-October, only around thirty parties (including France and the European Union) had submitted their plans. More than 90 states that failed to finalize a comprehensive strategy have revealed certain national targets. “We can wonder if this is very serious when countries only have six years left to implement their commitments, we have reason to be disappointed,” reacts Arnaud Gilles, head of environmental diplomacy at WWF France.

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