At COP16 in Cali, the time ran out for the Parties to resolve all items on an action-packed agenda. Yet, under the Colombian presidency, consensus held firm that notable achievements were made. According to a United Nations press release, “The results at COP16 are important strides toward achieving the 23 targets for 2030 laid out in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).” 

“History is happening here in Cali,” remarked Colombia’s Minister of Environment and COP16 president, Susana Muhammad, reflecting on the event’s significance. The conference set records, drawing the largest-ever gathering in the Convention on Biological Diversity’s 30-year history, with around 18,000 delegates, 40,000 participants engaged in official side events and nearly 1 million engaging in all events organized on the sidelines. Yet, the journey is far from over. Critical issues—particularly the funding needed to support the KMGBF’s ambitions—remain unresolved. Still, Cali has left a powerful legacy of progress and commitment to action,  undeniably moving the needle.

Here are five key highlights shaping the path ahead:

1. Biodiversity and Climate – Two sides of the same coin

Historically, biodiversity concerns —and the outcomes of UNCBD negotiations—have often played second fiddle to climate change on the global stage. However, COP16 signalled a shift, underscoring the urgent need to harmonize climate and biodiversity action. The conference’s outcomes reflected this call for integration, with Parties committing to accelerate the alignment of climate and biodiversity goals.

“It has never been clearer that implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement in a synergistic fashion will make peace with nature within reach,” said Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Key resolutions emphasized collaboration between scientific authorities, such as the World Biodiversity Council and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to bridge the divide. At the national level, it was underscored that National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) should be closely aligned with planning instruments of other Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

“Actions grounded in ecosystems can sustainably address climate change, biodiversity loss and a range of environmental, social, and economic challenges,” noted Vincent Gitz, CIFOR-ICRAF’s Director for Latin America.  “We call these Nature-based Solutions.”

This synergy will take centre stage at UNFCCC COP29 in Baku, where nature-focused climate protection strategies that align with biodiversity conservation are expected to advance even further. 

CIFOR-ICRAF at UNFCCC COP29

Trees, forests & climate 11 - 22 November 2024

See event details here

2. A historic milestone for Indigenous representation

“We don’t just want to be included; we want to be part of the decisions and the solutions,” said Sinéia Wapichana, a Brazilian Indigenous leader, at CIFOR-ICRAF’s side event on National Biodiversity Strategies. Her words resonated strongly at COP16’s closing plenary, where Parties adopted a historic Programme of Work on Article 8(j) to ensure Indigenous voices are integral to biodiversity governance.

This program outlines actionable steps to meaningfully involve Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPs and LCs) in the UNCBD’s primary objectives: conserving biodiversity, promoting sustainable use and equitable sharing of its benefits. By embedding the contributions of IPs and LCs in the KMGBF, the plan formalizes a permanent body dedicated to supporting their engagement across the Convention’s processes.  Afro-descendant Peoples were also acknowledged, recognizing the unique value of their traditional practices in biodiversity conservation.

“Indigenous Peoples and local communities — among the first impacted by the climate and biodiversity crises— have long advocated for their effective and equitable participation across COPs,” said CIFOR-ICRAF scientist Juan Pablo Sarmiento Barletti. “Their knowledge and experiences are now recognized under Article 8(j), underscoring their role in achieving the KMGBF. The challenge now lies in how this will be put into practice.” 

3. Funding nature recovery through nature’s generated benefits

Around the COP16 venue.
Photo by Yoly Gutierrez/CIFOR-ICRAF

At COP16, the groundbreaking Cali Fund was launched— a global mechanism to ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits from digital sequence information (DSI) on genetic resources. Building on the foundation laid out in the COP15 agreements, this fund will collect contributions from commercial sectors, including pharmaceutical and agricultural companies, based on revenues they generate from DSI.

The Cali fund is set to channel financial support directly to developing countries and IPLCs, prioritizing capacity-building and technology transfer projects. Importantly,  at least half of the funds will be allocated specifically to IPLCs, with rigorous monitoring and transparency mechanisms in place to ensure accountability. COP16 President Muhammad heailed the fund as a potential “game-changer in funding biodiversity.”

4. Advancing sustainable wildlife management

Another significant outcome from COP16  was the adoption of a framework for sustainable wildlife management, emphasizing the need for monitoring, capacity building and the active inclusion of IPLCs and women. This decision also highlights the interconnectedness of wildlife use, biodiversity loss and zoonotic diseases—an urgent issue as public health implications become increasingly apparent.

Side event: Highlights from Joint Initiatives of Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management organized by the CPW at UNCBD COP16, Cali, Colombia. Photo by Yoly Gutierrez/CIFOR-ICRAF

“We need to collectively define what sustainable wildlife use means and establish indicators to measure compliance with Target 9 of the UNCBD framework, which aims to ensure that wild species are managed sustainably to benefit people,” said Nathalie van Vliet, CIFOR-ICRAF scientist and member of the Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme, an EU-funded initiative operating across 15 countries to promote sustainable wildlife management models for food security and biodiversity conservation. She highlighted the importance of local engagement, advocating for integrating local ecological knowledge into effective monitoring systems.

As part of the Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management, scientists and experts of 13 organizations are working to support the voluntary compliance with the KMGBF. Their efforts include developing monitoring indicators for Target 5 and Target 9, essential steps toward sustainable wildlife management and biodiversity conservation.

5. Forests Deserve More Attention in the KMGBF

Forests cover 31% of the Earth’s surface, house up to 80% of terrestrial biodiversity and support the livelihoods of millions. Yet, they often receive insufficient focus in biodiversity dialogues. On October 25, the UNCBD and the Collaborative Partnership on Forests launched The Forest Factor, a report highlighting the critical role of forest conservation, restoration and sustainable management in achieving the KMGBF targets.

The report examines the vital connections between forest health, climate change and sustainable development, highlighting actionable recommendations such as improved legal harvesting practices, reduced supply chain impacts and incentives to foster forest conservation. The report also calls for a sharper focus on dryland, temperate and boreal forests, identifying policy pathways to align forest management practices with KMGBF targets.

What’s next?

In Baku, Parties are expected to bring nature’s role as a climate solution to the forefront, striving to advance climate and biodiversity goals in unison. However, at the end of the UNCBD negotiations, key challenges remain unresolved,  including securing USD 200 billion annually from all sources by 2030  to support global biodiversity initiatives. Negotiations will continue next year in Bangkok, laying the groundwork for  COP17 in Armenia.

By then, countries are expected to have completed their National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs)—the essential blueprints for achieving national targets. Yet, as COP16 closed,  only 44 countries had successfully submitted these plans, underscoring the urgency for swift action if the world is to meet the goals set out in the KMGBF.