COP16 on biodiversity: what role will the Spanish government play?

The COP16 Biodiversityknown as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)will take place from October 21 to November 1, 2024 in Cali, Colombia, the third country with the most biodiversity in the world.

This will be the first round of international talks on biodiversity since 196 governments reached a historic agreement in Montreal in 2022; He Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework whose purpose is stop and reverse the loss of biodiversity that is causing mass extinctions.La ONG pide al Government of Spain to increase its ambition at this summit to meet commitments and financing approved at international and national levels.

The agreement has real potential to halt and reverse biodiversity loss and mass extinction: protect 30% of the land area and 30% of the marine environment by 2030 (the so-called 30×30 objective). And this was agreed upon funding of $20 billion per year until 2025 and then 30 billion per year until 2030.

Biodiversity is essential for life and the economysupports essential ecosystem services, such as water purification, crop pollination, climate regulation and nutrient cycling. He current economic growth model It is a key factor in the loss of nature and species.

We cannot legislate with a short-term view or with the dichotomy of preserving lives or the economy; both must go hand in hand. The most important decisions on biodiversity have been taken at previous summits, so this is a crucial moment for our future. Given the current ecological emergency (due to climate change and biodiversity loss), this summit is a hopeful opportunity for a habitable planet.

Of the 196 countries that have agreed to the Global Biodiversity Framework by 2022: only 10% of countries have presented a national plan to meet the 30×30 and only 18 of 28 countries have contributed to the committed funding (including Spain ), but only Norway and Sweden meet the established quotas. Spain also presented one of the first National Biodiversity Action Plan.

To evaluate the plan, the NGO joined the evaluation tool created WWF that evaluates National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (EPANB) of governments. In the case of Spain we will discuss the positive and negative points of the so-called State Strategic Plan for Natural Heritage and Biodiversity until 2030 (PEPNyB).

The positive aspects of the Strategic State Plan for Natural Heritage and Biodiversity until 2030 (PEPNyB):

• The Spanish government’s commitment to the Global Biodiversity Framework is recognized as it is one of the countries that demanded high ambition in the goals of the agreement at COP15.
• Provides a global diagnosis of the state of existing biodiversity in the country, recognizing the significant loss of biodiversity
• It identifies the main direct threats and some indirect factors driving biodiversity loss.
• The budget for certain actions increases significantly compared to the previous plan (2011-2017).

The improvements discovered in the Strategic State Plan for Natural Heritage and Biodiversity until 2030 (PEPNyB):

Needs more ambition:

• The PEPNyB partially covers the Global Biodiversity Framework, with objectives that address some of the 23 objectives of the global framework, and focuses the objectives on 8 priority areas for action.
• The goals must be formulated in more detail, they must be SMART.
• The plan lacks a detailed overview of the budget for each measure of the plan.

We need to improve governance and participation:

• It was drafted without a real civil society participation process.
• It has been prepared without the in-depth involvement and cooperation of other ministries, departments and administrations whose policies and actions have clear impacts on biodiversity.
• Since MITECO lacks powers in some matters, and without adequate governance mechanisms and/or the development of specific sectoral plans drawn up jointly with the relevant ministries or departments, There is a risk that the plan will be another failed attempt to transform this sectoral policy, which will be fundamental meet the framework objectives in 2030.
• There are clear contradictions between the objectives set out in the plan and the policies put into practice in recent years, especially in the areas of agricultural policy and water management in Spain.

Improving implementation and progress mechanisms:

• With important measures to help identify and eliminate incentives and subsidies that are harmful to biodiversity.

What role will the government of Spain play?

He Government of Spain must be ambitious if it wants to meet the country’s international goals Global biodiversity framework. At COP16 You have the opportunity to expand your own plan and commit to timely reporting with greater accountability and transparency.

In addition, The NGO urges Spain to establish a ministerial initiative or a working group of donor countries to lead actions to achieve this goal before the 2025 deadline.

Despite his leadership, there are initiatives within the government that are paralyzed between ministries due to the environment being given less priority or due to a lack of coordination with the autonomous communities. The climate and biodiversity crises are intertwined, Spain must start treating the biodiversity crisis as a state issue.

In the current context of the European Union (EU), we no longer need to make empty promises and the newly elected EU leaders need to adopt laws that protect vital ecosystems, guarantee clean water and provide healthy food.. The EU must prioritize tackling the climate and ecological crises and ensuring a just transition for local communities and their economic well-being.

For the NGO, this summit is also an opportunity to challenge the accumulation of power by the NGOs large companies and the lack of adequate regulatory frameworks that prevent the current corporate impunity for the destruction of nature and harm to the population.

The NGO wants to focus on the Santander bank, a financial entity that stands out for its contribution to it deforestation in BrazilHe worsening the climate crisis and the global uncertaintythrough its support to companies in the sector weapons and in conflict areas.

NGO demands to governments and the European Union:

• Make significant progress in protecting and restoring nature and recognizing its fundamental role in climate action. It is necessary to maximize the synergies between the Biodiversity Convention and the Paris Agreement and minimize negative interactions. The parties must therefore increase their efforts to achieve alignment; protection and rehabilitation, nationally determined contributions and adaptation plans, and require joint work between the conventions at CBD COP16 and UNFCCC COP29.

• Show a willingness to take action implement the objectives of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at national and European level. They have to increase its ambition to strengthen and enforce existing legislation and adopt new legislative measures without further delay. Those parties that have not yet done so should urgently submit their revised plans in accordance with the KM-GBF framework.

• Fulfilling the pledge to contribute $20 billion per year by 2025 to finance the protection and restoration of nature in the countries of the South and $30 billion per year by 2030, after mobilizing a total of $200 billion by 2030. The new European Commission should identify and end harmful incentives, including subsidies, to increase positive incentives and integrate biodiversity into decision-making at all levels, including the alignment of all budgetary aspects and financial flows.

• Ratify the Ocean Convention (High Seas Convention or Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), as soon as possible and no later than June 2025. A truly global and representative 30×30 goal can only be achieved through the implementation of the BBNJ Agreement. The EU approved ratification earlier this year and now all member states must ratify it.