What’s next for ASEAN post COP 16?

After almost two weeks of gruelling negotiations involving over 190 countries, the UN Biodiversity Conference or COP 16 finally concluded in Cali, Colombia. 

Given the mounting threats to global biodiversity and the limited time and resources available to meet the 23 biodiversity targets outlined in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM GBF), what are the appropriate courses of action for the ASEAN Member States (AMS) moving forward?

Notable outcomes of COP 16 that are most relevant to ASEAN nations

In a joint statement submitted to the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD), the AMS, supported by the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), outlined their regional priorities and calls to action for biodiversity. ASEAN likewise launched its own regional biodiversity strategies and action plan called the ASEAN Biodiversity Plan (ABP) on the sidelines of COP 16.

The SCBD reported some notable achievements of COP 16 as follows: 

1. Launch of the “Cali Fund”

Building on the agreements at COP 15, the ”Cali Fund” was launched for the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the utilisation of digital sequence information on genetic resources (DSI).

Large corporations and other organisations that profit financially from DSI are required to contribute to this global fund based on a percentage of their earnings. The approach excludes academic institutions, public research institutes, and other DSI-using organisations and targets the larger businesses that depend on DSI the most. The target beneficiaries of the fund are developing countries, indigenous peoples and local communities, women and youth, in the form of financial, in-kind, and capacity development support.

2. Strengthening the role of indigenous peoples and local communities in conservation

Parties adopted a new Subsidiary Body on Article 8 (j) and other provisions of the Convention related to indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs). In addition to implementing the KM GBF, this transformative programme lays out specific tasks to guarantee that IPLCs make a meaningful contribution to the Convention’s objectives: the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from these resources. The rights, contributions, and traditional knowledge of local communities and indigenous peoples are increasingly integrated into the global agenda through this programme.

The increased engagement of the youth, women, persons with disabilities, and IPLCs in biodiversity conservation programmes, projects, and activities, and decision-making processes at all levels is part of the regional priorities stipulated in the ABP. 

3. Climate and biodiversity

The CBD COP 16 stressed the interlinkages between biodiversity and climate change. The Parties agreed to integrate climate change adaptation and mitigation, and disaster risk reduction in the implementation or updating of their respective National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plan. It also called for closer collaboration and alignment between the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Subject to the views of Parties and observer organisations, a Joint Work Program is being proposed to further explore options to enhance cooperation and policy coherence to support the implementation of the Convention and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Paris Agreement.

4. Invasive Alien Species (IAS)

COP 16’s decision on IAS recommends the development of guidelines for controlling IAS, addressing topics including multicriteria analysis techniques and e-commerce, among others.

Addressing gaps in controlling invasive species hazards, new databases, improved cross-border trade regulations, and increased coordination with e-commerce platforms are all in line with KM GBF’s objectives, which place a strong emphasis on cross-sectoral and cooperative approaches to biodiversity protection.

ASEAN has its own regional action plan for the improved management, control, and prevention of IAS. The plan was designed to strengthen legal frameworks and coordination; improve public awareness and education; increase capacity and resources; maintain strong border control and develop an inter-island biosecurity programme; improve prevention and control measures; improve monitoring, evaluation and reporting system; and promote sustainable financing for IAS management.

5. Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs)

A new and improved method for identifying ecologically or biologically significant maritime areas (EBSAs) was adopted at COP 16. In order to ensure that the cataloguing of information in these areas can assist planning and management with the most cutting-edge science and knowledge available, COP 16 gave fresh life to this process by deciding on new procedures to identify new EBSAs and update current ones.

This new decision comes at an opportune time with the adoption of a new oceans treaty, which is the International legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction or BBNJ. Under the BBNJ, EBSAs are recommended areas for protection and conservation and an opportunity to foster transboundary cooperation towards achieving the 30×30 global ambition for biodiversity conservation. 

6. Sustainable wildlife management and plant conservation

The preservation of wild species was one of the most important topics discussed at COP 16. A decision regarding sustainable wildlife management emphasised the importance of capacity-building, monitoring, and the inclusive involvement of women, local communities, and indigenous peoples. In order to achieve this, the decision requires the assistance of international organisations such as the FAO and CITES. As the world grows more conscious of the consequences of biodiversity loss for public health, the framework promotes research on the connections between zoonotic illnesses, wildlife usage, and biodiversity loss. 

7. Biodiversity and health

A Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health was endorsed by CBD Parties at COP 16 with the goals of preventing non-communicable diseases, promoting sustainable ecosystems, and reducing the spread of zoonotic diseases. The plan adopts a comprehensive “One Health” stance, acknowledging the interdependence of human, animal, and ecosystem health. This plan hopes to bring together health professionals, conservationists, and policymakers.

Acknowledging that deforestation, pollution, and climate change are frequent causes of biodiversity loss and poor health, the Plan highlights how urgent it is to address these concerns for the sake of ecosystems and people.

In addition to strengthening regulations that support traditional medicine, encourage sustainable ecosystems, and lessen habitat degradation, the approach emphasises the need for education and raising awareness of the links between biodiversity and health. 

In the ASEAN context, the Global Action Plan aligns well with the ASEAN One Health Declaration, providing a robust entry point for regional collaboration, and resonates with the ASEAN One Health Joint Plan of Action’s goals for cross-sectoral collaboration. By leveraging this alignment, ASEAN can enhance regional and national capacities, promote sustainable development, and address the triple planetary crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution through unified national and regional approaches, with the ACB being the regional technical support centre for Asia.

8. Funding biodiversity

While there are gains in terms of generating financial resources to implement the KM GBF, there is an ongoing debate on the means to set up the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF). Parties will have to come up with a new “Strategy for Resource Mobilisation” to help obtain USD 200 billion yearly by 2030.

Secondly, USD 500 billion in annual subsidies that damage biodiversity should be redirected by 2030. The potential development of a new worldwide financial tool specifically for biodiversity will also be examined by the parties in order to receive, distribute, mobilise, and express funding requirements.

To date, the Convention has relied on resources raised to support the GBF’s objectives and targets through a range of corporate, charitable, and bilateral agreements, in addition to designated funds, such as:

• The GBFF was agreed at COP 15 in 2022 and established in less than a year by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).  To date, 11 donor countries as well as the Government of Quebec have pledged nearly USD 400 million to the GBF Fund, with USD 163 million pledged during COP 16. 

• The Kunming Biodiversity Fund (KBF) with a USD 200 million contribution from the Government of China.  The KBF supports accelerated action to deliver the 2030 Agenda and SDG targets and 2050 goals of the Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework, particularly in developing countries.

COP 16 also considered an evaluation of the effectiveness of the GEF, which serves as the financial mechanism of the Convention.

In the ASEAN region, this bodes well to scale up impacts of business and biodiversity collaboration and partnerships through regional programmes or initiatives like the ASEAN Business and Biodiversity Initiative (ABBI) by providing the platform for business and biodiversity stakeholders to continue to dialogue and monitor progress on mobilising and leveraging private sector resources, monitoring actions on reducing negative subsidies and encouraging positive incentives, as well as scaling up of awareness and develop and implement capacity building programmes for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs)

9. Implementing and monitoring the KM GBF

The majority of the 196 Parties to the CBD, or about 119 nations, submitted national biodiversity targets, which are activities and policy initiatives aimed at achieving the 23 KM GBF targets.

Furthermore, 44 nations have so far submitted National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans, which serve as the policy instrument that will facilitate the achievement of these national goals. COP 16 emphasised the need to speed up action while acknowledging the impressive progress made in just two years. 

In the ASEAN region, the ACB is partnering with the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) in a technical support project that will strengthen the capacities of national governments and key stakeholders of ASEAN Member States in monitoring biodiversity targets and identifying resources to ensure the sustainability of national monitoring systems.

Crucial role of the ACB

The ACB’s designation as one of the 18 regional technical and scientific cooperation (TSC) support centres for the implementation of the KM GBF in Asia provided the region with more opportunities to leverage support from the SCBD and other global sources to mobilise financial and technical resources for conservation projects and programmes in Asia. 

The importance of TSCs in realising the global biodiversity targets was emphasised at COP 16. The TSCs are mandated to help regions and subregions hasten the achievement of the KM GBF by serving as one-stop shops for scientific and technical support in the form of biodiversity data, resources, expertise, technologies, and capacity development opportunities; complementing existing national and regional initiatives; and building on existing cooperation for biodiversity.

To help curb biodiversity loss, ASEAN nations established the ACB in 2005. It is an intergovernmental organisation that helps the ten ASEAN member states work together and coordinate with regional and global organisations for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, as well as the just and equitable distribution of benefits that come from using these natural resources.

Aside from the CBD, the ACB is also an accredited IGO observer of various MEAs including the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.