2024 UN Biodiversity Conference

COP16: Everything you need to know

What is COP16?

COP16 is the 2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity is an agreement signed in 1992 by governments who pledged to promote sustainable development.

This is the 16th biodiversity conference. The last one was held in 2022 in Montreal, Canada, where the historic Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was adopted to halt the rampant loss of biodiversity.

This year, COP will take place from October 21 to November 1 in Cali, Colombia.

Representatives of the 196 Parties to the CBD and leaders from international organisations, the private sector and civil society will be at COP16.

What’s happening at COP16?

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework includes 23 action targets for 2030 towards four long-term goals for 2050 to halt and reverse loss of biodiversity.

Governments will come together at COP16 to show the alignment of their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) with the Framework.

Work will also be done to strengthen resource mobilisation to close the biodiversity finance gap and finalise a mechanism for the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources.

Susana Muhamad, Colombia’s environment minister, has said that this year’s biodiversity COP will put nature at the heart of the international environment agenda.

Indeed, the theme for this year’s COP is “Peace with nature”.

Why is all this important?

The COP16 biodiversity conference is a critical platform to address the global biodiversity crisis.

With the world facing an unprecedented decline in species and ecosystems, COP16 is the space for governments to collaborate on solutions and decide on actions to reverse this trend.

COP16 is where the ambitious targets set by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework will be translated into concrete plans and actions.

What is the Group on Earth Observations doing at COP16?

The Group on Earth Observations (GEO), GEOBON, Ai2 and Esri will have a prominent role at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP16) in Cali, Colombia, this October. Together, they will host a pavilion exclusively focused on Earth observation and cutting-edge technology to support the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Located in the Blue Zone, the pavilion will center on the theme "From Genes to Ecosystems”.

During COP16, GEO will introduce a proof-of-concept for the Global Ecosystems Atlas—the world's first comprehensive, open-access resource for mapping and monitoring ecosystems globally.

Visitors to the pavilion will have the opportunity to experience a hands-on demonstration of this innovative tool, which will be officially launched at a COP16 side event on 28 October.

GEO and partners will host a number of other talks and events at the pavilion (programme TBA). In addition, GEO staff, including GEO Secretariat Director Yana Gevorgyan, will speak at several events during COP16.

GEO will advocate for Earth Intelligence for All in support of our mission to harness the power of Earth intelligence to address global challenges, including the protection and restoration of ecosystems.

If you’re going to be at COP16, please drop by our pavilion or get in touch to book a meeting with our team: secretariat@geosec.org

What is the Global Ecosystems Atlas all about?

The Global Ecosystems Atlas is a groundbreaking tool for identifying distribution of different ecosystem types, supporting coherent conservation and restoration efforts, informing environmental management decisions, conducting research, and aiding in environmental and corporate reporting.

The Atlas will:

• Integrate existing high-quality ecosystem maps to harmonise approaches to monitoring and reporting on ecosystem extent, condition and risks.
• Identify and fill gaps in knowledge of extent and condition of ecosystems using the latest Earth observation data and AI technologies combined with relevant ecological data.
• Provide tools to support global, regional and national assessments, reporting and accounting related to ecosystems.
• Enable businesses to develop coherent nature accounts and assess, report and verify nature-related risks and key nature metrics.

What are some of the big issues that will be talked about at COP16?

The world faces existential threats from climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation. Related to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, there will be various discussions around global efforts to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

The launch of the Global Ecosystems Atlas at COP16 is especially timely, as government representatives will be in Cali for critical discussions on mechanisms for planning, monitoring, reporting and review of the Global Biodiversity Framework.

Use of the Atlas can also feed into conversations about aligning efforts between the public and private sectors and mobilising financial support for biodiversity conservation and restoration.

Loss of biodiversity could disrupt our planet’s ecosystems, pushing them to the brink of collapse.

When ecosystems are under threat, global efforts to adapt to climate change are also at risk because these ecosystems are the foundational systems that sustain all life on Earth.

Accurate information on the distribution and condition of ecosystems is essential. The Global Ecosystems Atlas will provide the vital data needed to design effective climate adaptation strategies, conservation efforts, and sustainable development policies.

Other important topics at COP16 will include biosafety, links between health and biodiversity, and approaches to mapping marine and coastal biodiversity areas.

How can I find out more and get involved?

We’ll be documenting our time at COP16 on Twitter and LinkedIn, so be sure to follow us.

You can find out more about the Global Ecosystems Atlas here and if you have questions or would like to find out more about how you can use the Atlas, we have an explainer here.

Please also help us spread the word about the Atlas and the Pavilion by sharing our content: Use the hashtag #MapEcosystems when posting about the Atlas and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

And if you want to learn more about the work of the Group on Earth Observations, start here.

For more information, contact: secretariat@geosec.org