While the United Nations summit on biodiversity COP16 has entered its second week, talks on how to finance nature conservation they find themselves at a standstill. Delegates from 196 countries face a significant obstacle: the billions of dollars needed to implement theKunming-Montreal Agreement of 2022 are not arriving, and the commitment of $163 million from seven countries and a provincial government is far from expectations.
The Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF), created to support countries in the fight against biodiversity loss, has reached approximately $400 million. However, these funding promises, while welcomed, are inadequate compared to the $200 billion required annually by 2030. “We are talking about millions, but we expect billions,” he warned Irene Wabiwa by Greenpeace.
Slow capital flows are a growing concern, especially considering that, according to an update from the International Union for Conservation of Nature released yesterday at COP16, 38% of global tree species are at risk of extinction, especially in island countries. What are the main causes? Deforestation, urban development and agriculture, plus extreme weather events, exacerbated by climate change.
COP16 has the ambitious goal of implementing 23 goals, including the fundamental 30×30 goal, which involves allocate 30% of terrestrial and marine territory to conservation by 2030. Currently, only 17.6% of land and 8.4% of marine areas are protectedaccording to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). “We must act urgently,” he said Grethel Aguilardirector of the IUCN, underlining the importance of immediate interventions.
Progress and challenges
Globally, Protected area networks are growing. Since 2020, an additional 629,000 km² of land and inland waters and 1.77 million km² of seas and coasts have been officially protected. Fifty-one countries boast networks of protected areas greater than 30% on land and 31% at sea. But with just six years left to reach the 30% target in each area, it is crucial to protect a further 16.7 million km² (12.4%) of inland lands and waters and 78.3 million km² (21.6% ) of marine and coastal areas. This requires a significant acceleration in the creation of new protected areas.
Over two-thirds of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are now partially or completely covered by protected areas. However, a third of KBAs remain without formal protectionhighlighting the need for greater efforts to conserve crucial habitats. Furthermore, a quarter of eco-regions already have over 30% protectionbut many of them are not well represented in the network of protected areas, requiring particular attention to ensure that these areas are ecologically representative.
Citizen pressure and the future of conservation
Activist groups stress that financial promises must translate into concrete actions. “The world is ready for global action on biodiversity if governments can deliver tangible results,” he warned An Lambrechts by Greenpeace International. The pressure on developed countries, which have the responsibility and resources to drive change, is rightly evident.
Until now, 177 countries have completed assessments of the effectiveness of protected area managementbut further data is needed to understand progress towards the “effectiveness” aspects of Objective 3. In the marine context, only 5.7% of the oceans are in marine protected areas that are actively implemented and/or managed, while only 2.8% are in fully or highly protected areas.
Data on equity in protected area governance is limited, with assessments available for only 0.22% of terrestrial areas and 0.001% of marine areas. This information is key to ensuring the involvement of indigenous peoples and local communities in the decision-making process. The vast majority of protected areas are governed by national governments and other state actors, with only 3.95% governed by indigenous peoples and local communities. Traditional territories cover at least 13.6% of global land areas.
Towards a sustainable future
COP16 is moving towards its conclusion, scheduled for November 1st, with a contrasting balance: on the one hand the awareness of the urgency of acting for biodiversity, on the other the difficulty of translating commitments into concrete actions. The promised funding is still insufficient and achieving the 30×30 goal requires an unprecedented global effort. Despite progress in the expansion of protected areas, the challenge remains their effective and equitable management, ensuring the involvement of local communities and integrated planning in the territory.
The future of biodiversity depends on the ability to overcome these obstacles and turn promises into reality.
