The sixteenth conference of the meeting of CBD Parties (COP16) took place in Cali, Colombia on 21 October to 1 November 2024. Some 23,000 delegates drawn from country leaders and negotiators, scientists and non-governmental organisations worked intensively to address how to renew efforts to combat biodiversity loss and promote collective action to achieve an ecosystem approach. As ever, an inordinate amount of time was spent word-smithing language acceptable to all Parties, consistent with past decisions and in a way that balanced ambition with resources and implementation capacity.
In the margins an intensive programme of workshops and side events sought to inform, engage, inspire and educate. Events such as this provide a shop window to showcase the wonders of nature, as well as institutional and project-based efforts to conserve and collaborate. At the same time, COP is an opportunity for political posturing and advocacy enhanced by philanthropic partnerships. In addition, multiple groups seek to shine a spotlight on the need for on-going efforts to promote equity. As a mega-biodiverse country, Colombia has much to celebrate as well as many pressures to contend with. Marine issues are only one component of COP but many cross-cutting issues are also highly relevant.
GOBI’s mission at COP16 was to follow the two draft marine decisions: (1) further work on ecologically or biologically significant marine areas (EBSAs) and (2) conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal biodiversity and of island biodiversity. GOBI was also tasked by CBD Secretariat with leading a ‘Connected Ocean’ session at their Ocean Day event on 27 October 2024 – a thematic focus on the ocean and its importance to the planet – and deliver a side event that showcased the success and relevance of the GOBI’s recently-concluded project under the International Climate Initiative, and to announce its successor.
The draft COP decisions, a product of SBSTTA 26 and technical workshops in 2023, required detailed scrutiny by contact groups. Agreeing modalities for amending EBSA descriptions and/or initiating new EBSAs has been a thorn in the way of progress for more than eight years, hence significant onus to resolve differences and impediments. For the EBSA decision, the main issue concerned sovereignty. However, ironically the prospect of the BBNJ Agreement coming into force and the role EBSAs may play in informing area-based management tools in ABNJ acted as both a spur and point of contention (in particular around how synergies between the two processes should be expressed). To the joy of the negotiators a successful agreed decision text emerged late on 30 October 2024 (CBD/COP/16/L.8) – a significant achievement. The marine, coastal and island biodiversity decision acknowledged a variety of relevant processes, work programmes and priorities, and the need for additional guidance and capacity-building in some areas to implement the GBF. Importantly, the decision contains an Annex setting out gaps and areas in need of additional focus under the CBD to support implementation of the GBF (CBD/COP/16/L.17).
Disguised as two hydrothermal vents, the GOBI Secretariat were part of an ‘Connected Ocean’ session lineup during a packed-out Ocean Day. The session allocated organisations to different connected rooms using the analogy of a family house: each room in the house provided a platform for presentations by IWC, GOBI, WWF, CMS, IUCN, SPREP and GLISPA, to communicate serious messages in a fun way to engage the audience. The connected ocean theme allowed for many different interpretations of ecosystem connectivity with some singing and dancing thrown in! Full reporting on the day’s events was provided by IISD.
Images above courtesy IISD and GOBI Secretariat
Lastly, the GOBI side event, hosted in partnership with MarViva, was an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of the GOBI’s work under the International Climate Initiative during 2016-2023, and look ahead to the new Living High Seas project, of which GOBI is a significant implementing partner. This new project has recently received approval in principle and was announced by Ilka Wagner (BMUV) at a COP16 event hosted by Bloomberg Philanthropies on 26 October 2024. In GOBI’s side event programme, highly complementary contributions by Lily Bentley (University of Queensland), Katherine Arroyo (MarViva Foundation) and Amy Fraenkel (CMS Secretariat) made a strong case to build on GOBI work on EBSAs and factor migratory connectivity into selection of area-based management tools (ABMTs) in areas beyond national jurisdiction. A policy brief – Linking distant worlds: Understanding and measuring connectivity in the global ocean – was launched at the side event, as well as a new GOBI highlights publication to mark GOBI’s achievements and results under its IKI grant 2016-2023.
