"Decisive" Biodiversity Summit Opens In Colombia, With Eerie Similarities To "Decisive" Climate Summits

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The Cop16 UN biodiversity summit is expected to welcome 190 countries and 15,000 people with the goal of protecting the world’s flora and fauna. Ecologists warn ecosystems are reaching an inflection point where the extinction of species could begin to accelerate. Gustavo Petro’s government is pushing for Indigenous people to have more of a role in protecting Colombia’s ecosystems and has said they will be at the centre of Cop16.

The environment ministry announced earlier this week that it will create Indigenous-led environmental authorities with public powers that settle Colombia’s “historical debt” with native communities. Indigenous groups have praised the move to empower them to defend their ecosystems. Some, however, have less confidence in Cop16’s promises of inclusion, including the creation of an area known as the green zone, which civil society groups, the private sector and the general public are being encouraged to attend. The green zone will host 1,000 events, including panels, workshops and musical performances, from 21 October to 1 November.

Harol Ipuchima, representative of Colombia’s Indigenous groups at Cop16 and the leader of the Maguta people in the Amazon, said the government’s narrative of inclusivity distracted from the fact that Indigenous peoples still have no significant involvement in the world’s decision-making process on the environment. “It sounds nice but it is all superficial, really,” he said. “Out of everyone in the entire world, we are the ones who are the most knowledgable about conservation and how to live in harmony with our ecosystems, yet we remain observers. We are still in the same position as we have been for decades where we have to shout at politicians to protect the environment but have no vote.”

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Only 10% of the 196 parties who signed the 2022 agreement have since released the nature action plans they agreed to deliver in China, funding is well short of the $20bn a year needed to protect nature and only 2.8% of the world’s ocean is protected “effectively”. With WWF warning that collapsing wildlife populations are near the “point of no return”, environmental activists and researchers say Cop16 is a critical opportunity for politicians to get the world back on track.

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/20/cop16-colombia-prepares-to-host-decisive-summit-on-biodiversity