Two years of landmark Global Biodiversity Framework show results, but work must continue

Today marks two years since the historic 2022 Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) when 196 countries agreed on a roadmap to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030.

The EU has been working intensively to advance on the commitments made in Montréal to put nature on a path to recovery for the benefit of people and the planet. 

The 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16), which took place from October 21 to November 1, in Cali, Colombia reviewed the progress achieved and made important steps ahead. Some decisions could not be adopted, therefore parties will meet again between 25-27 February 2025 in Rome, Italy to seek consensus on the outstanding matters. 

Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience, and a Competitive Circular Economy Jessika Roswall said:

“We need to put nature back on track – for the sake of the planet, people and businesses relying on biodiversity. I am encouraged by the work the EU has done in the past 2 years since the first-ever global agreement on biodiversity was adopted. We now have a robust law to cater for nature and are helping our partners worldwide with funding and capacity-building. Now, all partners need to accelerate efforts globally.”  

According to two new reports by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), immediate action to address the biodiversity crisis could unlock massive business and innovation opportunities, generating $10 trillion and supporting 395 million jobs worldwide by 2030.

Conversely, delaying action on biodiversity goals by even a decade could double the cost of acting now and delaying action on climate change adds at least $500 billion per year in additional costs.

However, the reports call for a “whole-of-society” and “whole-of-government” approach, tackling interconnected challenges, such as biodiversity loss, health, water and food together, for the responses to be effective.  

EU financing in support of nature

The EU has kept to its commitment to double external financing for biodiversity to €7 billion from 2021 to 2027. Building on that, during the recent COP16 on Biodiversity, the EU unveiled a package of new initiatives aimed at supporting partner countries and safeguarding biodiversity globally worth close to €160 million.

Joint and coherent solutions to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution are crucial, including upscaling nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches.

The Commission is also funding and providing technical support to at least 74 projects on nature-based solutions in Europe, with a total contribution of €654 million.  

COP16 achievements

COP16 under the theme of “COP of the people” was the first stock-taking initiative after the signature of the Global Biodiversity Framework.

As of today, 44 countries have already submitted revised national biodiversity strategies and action plans and 119 parties have uploaded their national targets in the online reporting tool, including the European Union, with many more under preparation.

These national targets will be the basis for the national reports due in February 2026 and the global review of implementation at COP17. 

At COP16 countries made substantial progress in the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework by agreeing on:-

• Operationalising a multilateral mechanism for the use of digital sequencing information from genetic resources (DSI) by establishing a new Fund, called the Cali Fund. Pharmaceutical, cosmetic, agribusiness, nutraceutical, and large technology companies that benefit from genetic data are expected to contribute to the Cali Fund; 
• An expanded role for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) in saving biodiversity through the creation of a new Subsidiary Body that strengthens their institutional voice. The COP also adopted a strong work plan on IPLCs and a historical decision recognising the role of traditional Afro-descendant communities in biodiversity conservation. This will ensure the meaningful contribution of IPLCs towards the objectives of the GBF; 
• Establishing a network of regional Centres for Scientific and Technical Cooperation. The European Commission will host one of the centres for technical and scientific cooperation, and with partners, is setting up a Global Knowledge Support Service for Biodiversity and supporting some of the regional centres; 
• Adopting an action plan for biodiversity and health;  
• Fostering the integration and coherence of climate action and biodiversity efforts at UN and national levels;  
• Procedures to describe ecologically and biologically significant marine areas, essential for the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Treaty and for protecting 30% of ocean areas by 2030. 

Next steps

Between 25-27 February 2025 in Rome, Italy parties will seek consensus on the outstanding matters related to resource mobilisation, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and GBF monitoring, reporting and review.  

The next Conference of the Parties - COP17- will take place in 2026 in Yerevan, Armenia. 

Background

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) has four overarching goals for 2050 and 23 targets for 2030, the four main goals being:-

• The conservation and restoration of biological diversity; 
• The sustainable use of biological diversity; 
• The fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of genetic resources;
• Access to adequate means for implementing the GBF for all.

While progress has been made since 2022, 196 countries adopted the historic Global Biodiversity Framework, much more still needs to be done as the Earth approaches irreversible global tipping points driven by interdependent emergencies, biodiversity loss and climate change.

Half of global GDP depends on the direct and indirect use of biological resources and ecosystem services.  

More Information

EU and global biodiversity - Commission page

Nature needs you and you need nature too – Commission web story

Nature-based solutions - Commission page

Euronews ‘Road to Green’ episode 13: Silencing guns, not birds - how the EU and Colombia are making peace with nature