Last week, the COP16 Biodiversity Conference in Rome concluded with a strategic roadmap to mobilise financing for global biodiversity protection. While this roadmap is a crucial step towards addressing the biodiversity finance gap, questions remain about how the fund will be implemented and sustained – and whether progress is being made quickly enough.
In 2024, the COP16 proceedings concluded without reaching a consensus on a number of issues, such as a new framework for monitoring progress on tackling biodiversity loss. There were also unanswered questions about conservation finance and only a small fraction of countries submitted biodiversity plans to meet a UN agreement to halt the destruction of ecosystems.
However, despite these challenges, the COP16 biodiversity summit did establish a permanent body for Indigenous representation – a historic milestone. This decision, which cements Indigenous communities as an integral part of decision-making in conservation, strongly supports our community-centered approach. This new advisory body underscores the crucial role of Indigenous communities in effective conservation, and validates our steadfast commitment to Sumatra’s rural communities.
Moving into the second session of COP16, a major focus was how to overcome funding obstacles for conservation, alongside the development of a monitoring framework to measure biodiversity progress. Some key decisions were adopted in the final moments of the second session, but they too were not without their challenges.
We were pleased to see the summit kick-off with the official launch of the Cali Fund – a new financial mechanism intended to generate and allocate resources for global conservation. Crucially, the fund has committed to directing at least half of its resources to Indigenous communities, further cementing their role in biodiversity protection.
However, there have been some criticisms of the Cali Fund, namely that it lacks the means to enforce financial contributions and that so far, no companies have publicly made financial commitments to the fund.
COP16 concluded with a roadmap for nature finance – a victory for global cooperation in conservation – but still left some financial questions unanswered. While some hailed the agreement, others at the summit voiced deep frustration over its perceived lack of ambition in addressing the environmental crisis.
This much-needed funding boost comes at a crucial point, and we are hopeful that the Cali Fund has the potential to unlock transformative conservation funding. However, we too hope that leaders seize the opportunity to fully realise this financial framework, and avoid endless debates on biodiversity funding. If leaders are able to enforce and maintain the Cali Fund on a domestic level, they could empower nations worldwide to protect biodiversity and build a sustainable future.
We know that local communities must benefit from conservation outcomes for programmes to succeed in the long-term. This is the most effective and reliable approach to safeguarding orangutan landscapes. And so, for this fund to succeed, direct access for Indigenous people is essential. We hope that the Cali Fund will realise and support this crucial link.
Another major setback at the first half of the COP16 summit was that more than 80% of countries failed to submit their plans on halting biodiversity loss. Although the first session of COP16 emphasised the need for an accountability framework, in order to track progress on biodiversity targets, delegates ran out of time to sign off on the draft monitoring framework.
In the resumed session, delegates signed off what indicators they will use to submit their national biodiversity reports, allowing accountability at the next COP. We hope that this system offers transparency in conservation and ensures accountability for biodiversity loss. With a robust framework that highlights both the successes and areas requiring urgent action, we can accelerate global conservation efforts – protecting vulnerable species such as orangutans.
Our conservation strategy centers on collaboration with frontline partners, developing programmes that recognise the interconnectedness of people, culture, and biodiversity. The recognition of this community-centred approach at COP16 provides renewed hope for the future of collaborative orangutan conservation.
While COP16’s progress is encouraging, we know that the road ahead will have challenges and there is still much to do to secure conservation financing. For too long, forest-edge communities have been economically marginalised and disadvantaged. The commitments made to Indigenous peoples at COP16, particularly through the Cali Fund, must be honoured.
It is important that the momentum on biodiversity financing and monitoring continues with urgency, driving us toward a future where wild orangutans thrive in resilient forests.
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