More than 190 Countries at CBD COP16 adopted a Global Action Plan for Biodiversity and Health; took steps to align climate and biodiversity agendas; and ensured ecological integrity is included in their plans to protect nature
Colombia, one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, served as an exceptional host, reminding us we need to make ‘peace with nature’
“While there was some good news for nature and people at COP16, we are still falling short. However, Colombia has reminded the world that by making peace with nature, we can reverse the existential crises of climate change, biodiversity collapse and the persistent threat of epidemics and pandemics of zoonotic origin.” Joe Walston, EVP of WCS Global
Cali, Colombia– The following assessment of CBD COP16 was released today by the Wildlife Conservation Society upon the suspension of this 12-day United Nations Biodiversity Conference.
The UN Biodiversity Conference was suspended around 9:00 am after a marathon all-night session, due to a lack of quorum. The COP will have to be reconvened, possibly virtually, in the near future to adopt its budget and other remaining important documents. Nevertheless, important decisions were adopted.
One significant achievement in Cali has been the adoption of the first Global Action Plan for Biodiversity and Health, a breakthrough moment affecting humans, wildlife and other animals, and ecosystems. Ecosystem degradation and loss of ecological integrity directly threaten human and animal (wildlife and domestic) health. The One Health approach, which is integrated in the Global Action Plan for Biodiversity and Health, recognizes these interconnections and interdependencies between ecosystem, animal, and human health and is essential for effective biodiversity conservation. The destruction of nature and an increased interface between people and wildlife is known to lead to the spillover of pathogens leading to epidemics and pandemics and to destroy the ecosystems critical to both nature and human well-being.
Said Dr. Susan Lieberman, WCS Vice President of WCS International Policy:
“The successes at CBD COP16 include the historic adoption of the Global Action Plan for Biodiversity and Health; a forceful call to strengthen nature-climate linkages; and inclusion of the importance of ecological integrity in decisions and government biodiversity strategies.
“The meeting in Cali has been an important step along the path needed to achieve all 23 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework by the 2030 deadline. But much more needs to be accomplished in the next six years, including speeding up progress toward expanding protected and conserved areas; and increasing investment in biodiversity from all sources.
“Many countries have risen to the occasion but too many more still need to submit their plans and national targets to meet the goals and targets in the global framework. More funding and political will are clearly needed for governments to build capacity and to implement their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans. The international community must ensure that all Parties can submit national biodiversity targets as a matter of urgency.
“We must work between now and 2030, and every day, to combat the collapse of biodiversity across the globe. Governments took some good decisions here in Cali, in spite of hours of wordsmithing and debate, and the inability to adopt all documents. But the sense of urgency was found more in speeches than actions; it is critical to fundamentally change our fractured relationship with nature, and to change our consumption and exploitation patterns, before it is too late.”
Said Joe Walston, Executive Vice President of WCS Global:
“While there was some good news for people and nature at COP16, without full implementation of the ambitious commitments coming out of Cali, the world will not be able to halt the existential crises of climate change, biodiversity collapse and the persistent threat of epidemics and pandemics of zoonotic origin. These crises are interconnected and mutually reinforcing. The destruction of nature is at the nexus of these crises and so making peace with nature is the nexus of the solution. Specifically, conserving and restoring ecological integrity—i.e. the ‘health’—of any ecosystem is critical to making it more resilient to climate change pressures, preventing pathogen spillover, and ensuring that nature retains its intrinsic and extrinsic values to people and the planet.”
Five Important Outcomes
Adoption of Global Action Plan for Biodiversity Health
Said Dr. Susan Lieberman, WCS Vice President, International Policy: “Governments are rightly celebrating the adoption of the first Global Action Plan for Biodiversity and Health. Millions died and suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this Convention is charting an excellent path to fully embrace the integration and interconnectedness of biodiversity and health. There can be no prevention of future pandemics of zoonotic origin without the protection and ecological integrity of nature. We have no future without nature.”
Said Dr. Chris Walzer, Executive Director of WCS Global Health: “The adoption of the Global Action Plan for Biodiversity and Health is a first for the global community. Our hope is that this action will mean governments around the world will implement One Health and the WHO will take notice and take action to adopt a Pandemic Agreement that prioritizes prevention. The ongoing degradation of nature is driving interconnected crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and systemic health declines, endangering ecosystems, economies, and societies. Protecting ecological integrity is critical to public health, and primary prevention must be at the forefront. The One Health approach—first coined by WCS in 2004—must be integrated into biodiversity conservation strategies and global health policies to proactively address these intertwined threats.”
Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities
Sushil Raj, Executive Director of WCS Rights + Communities, said: “The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) has several human rights provisions that must be reflected in COP16 outcomes. The decision adopted today to establish a Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j) is an important outcome that: a) recognizes and protects the traditional knowledge systems of Indigenous Peoples and local communities for the benefit of global and national biodiversity management; b) strengthens representation, coordination, inclusive decision making, and creates a space for dialogue with parties to the COP; c) promotes support for Indigenous and traditional territorial biodiversity management; and d) furthers international human rights standards referenced in the Global Biodiversity Framework.”
Ecological Integrity Integrated in Key Decisions
Alfred DeGemmis, Director, International Policy at WCS said: “A major success of COP16 is global consensus around the substantive connection between the biodiversity, climate, and health crises – a global loss of ecological integrity. Our next moves, to change and align the national policies targeting these crises and deliver meaningful outcomes for biodiversity and people, are critical. We must work between now and 2030 to ensure that those ambitious policy reforms and the finance to support them increase at pace, rebuilding trust in multilateralism.”
Aligning Climate and Biodiversity Agendas
Dan Zarin, Executive Director of WCS Forests and Climate said: “At CBD COP16, the connections between nature and climate received the attention they deserved, particularly from those governments and civil society organizations focused on charting a course from the CBD COP in Cali this year to the 30th Climate COP in Belem, Brazil at the end of 2025. The more than 190 governments in Cali adopted a decision to reaffirm the interlinkages between the crises of biodiversity loss and climate change and called for greater action from governments. This includes greater cooperation between UN policy fora designed to tackle these two challenges, the CBD and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Addressing both the climate and nature crises requires rapid acceleration in the transition away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy and unprecedented investment in the protection and strengthening of the Earth’s natural buffers against the impacts of the climate crisis – our forests, peatlands, grasslands and marine and coastal ecosystems. That investment must include support for Indigenous Peoples and other communities whose stewardship underpins the ecological integrity of nature. While the text agreed at CBD COP16 is helpful, at this critical juncture the actions taken by governments and the businesses they regulate will speak louder than the words agreed in Cali.”
Boosting Conservation Agenda in Colombia as Host for CBD COP16
Catalina Gutiérrez, Country Director of WCS Colombia said: “The whole of Colombia was proud to showcase our commitment to nature as we hosted CBD COP16. As one of the most biodiverse countries, shaped by both environmental and social challenges, Colombia is well-positioned to demonstrate the deep connection between peace and nature. This was our moment to inspire the world to commit to transformative actions that ensure a healthy planet. We hope the conservation spirit inspired by COP16 is not fleeting and it serves as lasting inspiration. This is a crucial opportunity to turn promises into sustained action that protects our natural heritage for future generations.”
A review of all WCS positions at CBD COP16 can be found here: https://www.wcs.org/cbd-
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Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
WCS combines the power of its zoos and an aquarium in New York City and a Global Conservation Program in more than 50 countries to achieve its mission to save wildlife and wild places. WCS runs the world’s largest conservation field program, protecting more than 50 percent of Earth’s known biodiversity; in partnership with governments, Indigenous People, Local Communities, and the private sector. It’s four zoos and aquarium (the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, and the New York Aquarium ) welcome more than 3.5 million visitors each year, inspiring generations to care for nature. Visit: newsroom.wcs.org. Follow: @WCSNewsroom. For more information: +1 (347) 840-1242. Listen to the WCS Wild Audio podcast HERE.
