In Cali, Colombia, experts are working hard to present their proposals and convince governments that delaying any legislation to secure barriers against biodiversity destruction is not an option, especially in countries like Brazil, which faces an agribusiness boom in forested regions, much of it in the Amazon territories, such as Pará, Amazonas, Rondônia, and Acre. Brazil hosts over 20% of the planet's biodiversity, with half of it in the Amazon, and deforestation for pasture expansion has been the leading cause of biodiversity loss in the Amazon, according to a MapBiomas report.
The United Nations' COP16 on Biological Diversity began last Monday, the 22nd, with the mission of reinforcing the agreements made at COP15 in December 2022. At that meeting, countries committed to halting and reversing global biodiversity loss by 2030. The primary goals of what became known as the Kunming-Montreal Pact include significantly increasing funding to protect and restore nature; reducing the impact of invasive species; combating pollution from pesticides and plastic; promoting sustainable agricultural management; and including Indigenous peoples and traditional communities in decision-making processes.
Only 25 countries have submitted national plans to protect 30% of nature so far, and Brazil is not among them. The remaining 170 signatory countries — nearly 80% of the total — have not submitted their plans to halt destruction, according to an investigation by Carbon Brief and The Guardian. Only five of the 17 countries hosting around 70% of the world's biodiversity have presented national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs): Mexico, Australia, Indonesia, China, and Malaysia.
This story was produced as part of the 2024 CBD COP16 Fellowship organized by Internews' Earth Journalism Network. It was first published in Portuguese in A Critica on October 25, 2024. It has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Banner image: COP16 - PLENARY / Credit: UN Biodiversity via Flickr
Cley Medeiros
