COP16, currently held in Cali, Colombia, brings together global leaders and environmental activists around holding back the biodiversity loss by 2030, an urgent mission. However, the event has been marked by the delay in the implementation of the necessary national plans: of the 196 countries that signed the Kunming-Montreal Agreement, only 35 presented their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAP,) a necessary step to fulfill the commitments to protect 30% of the world's land and marine surface by the end of the decade. Among the countries that managed to deliver their plans are Colombia, Mexico, Cuba, and Suriname in Latin America, as well as Costa Rica, New Zealand, and Norway, recognized for integrating both biodiversity conservation and the well-being of local communities.
As a host country, Colombia has attracted attention for its own commitment. Its Biodiversity Action Plan, presented by the Minister of Environment Susana Muhamad, establishes goals such as increasing the protected area of its territory to 34% and boosting the bioeconomy to generate half a million jobs by 2030. In addition, the Colombian plan seeks to combat environmental crimes and illegal extraction, recognizing the essential role of indigenous communities in the protection of biodiversity.
However, the low participation and funding challenges in implementing these plans are worrisome. Experts such as Ximena Barrera, from WWF Colombia, underline that the lack of resources could seriously limit progress in conservation, especially in critical areas such as the Amazon, which faces unprecedented fires and droughts. The Amazon region, a key biome in the fight against the climate crisis, only has action plans presented by Colombia and Suriname, which worries experts.
The COP16 has underlined the need for a greater mobilization of resources and a political will to bring biodiversity to the same level as the climate crisis. With this, it is expected that the remaining countries will be able to present their plans and that strategies will be generated to close the "financing gap" that prevents the implementation of the objectives of the Kunming-Montreal Framework.