Video: What needs to happen to make the COP15 Global Biodiversity Framework a success?

The UN biodiversity summit, COP15, has been described as the “Paris moment” for nature. 

Delegates from almost every country in the world have been in frosty Montreal for the past two weeks hammering out the final details of plans and steps to “halt and reverse” the loss of biodiversity by 2030.

The summit may result in a Paris-style successful agreement if an ambitious post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) is finalised and countries are held responsible for ensuring the framework is implemented. 

But the possibility remains that it will more closely resemble the Copenhagen climate COP in 2009 – which was widely regarded as a failure. 

There are a number of goals and targets within the GBF, including the 30×30 aim to protect 30% of the Earth’s land and ocean by 2030, the mission to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and the need to mobilise finance in pursuit of these aims.  

Nations had previously set targets to combat biodiversity loss at COP10 in 2010, known as the Aichi targets. But the world failed to achieve even a single one of these aims by the 2020 deadline. 

Discussions on implementation and monitoring mechanisms are being closely watched at COP15 to ensure countries are held to account for any 2030 commitments. 

Carbon Brief journalists have been on the ground in Montreal keeping an eye on negotiations at the summit. 

In the below video, 10 people – including activists, delegates and stakeholders – discuss what they believe needs to happen to make the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework a success. 

Video by Joe Goodman for Carbon Brief.

The video features: 

1. Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, executive secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity 
2. Steven Guilbeault, minister of environment and climate change, Canada 
3. Mrinalini Rai, director, Women4Biodiversity
4. Ramiro Batzin, co-chair, International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity
5. Lim Li Ching, senior researcher, Third World Network
6. Li Shuo, senior policy adviser, Greenpeace East Asia
7. Chouaibou Nchoutpouen, deputy executive secretary, Central African Forests Commission
8. Lin Li, senior director of policy and advocacy, WWF International
9. Ebony Holland, nature and climate policy lead, International Institute for Environment and Development
10. James Cromwell, actor and activist 

The GBF needs to be “transformative, ambitious, realistic, actionable and implementable”, UN biodiversity chief Elizabeth Maruma Mrema told Carbon Brief. 

Canadian minister Guilbeault said agreement on the headline-worthy 30×30 target alone is “not enough” for a successful outcome. He said:

“For this to be ambitious, we need to have all of the necessary ingredients to ensure that we are moving towards a nature-positive world, as opposed to what we have year after year: a nature-negative world.” 

Li Shou from Greenpeace East Asia told Carbon Brief that the GBF is “our once-in-a-decade chance to halt and reverse biodiversity loss”. He added:

“In the CBD, our problem is not always necessarily that we lack targets and ambition, but rather there is a big gap and deficit in terms of fulfilling some of the promises made previously.”

Mrinalini Rai from Women4Biodiversity said maintaining a gender equality target in the framework “will help it to be a bit more equitable and inclusive framework for all”. 

The International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity’s Ramiro Batzin told Carbon Brief: 

“We need nations to recognise and respect Indigenous peoples’ rights. We need to ensure Indigenous peoples’ contribution to biodiversity conservation is truly appreciated.”