Cop16 nature summit agrees deal at 11th hour but critics say it is not enough

A fisher paddles through wetlands in Accra, Ghana. Cop16 delegates stood and clapped as they reached a deal on nature conservation. Photograph: Muntaka Chasant/Rex/Shutterstock

The task of halting nature loss by 2030 is slipping out of reach, ministers have warned, as countries from around the world came to a hard-won compromise on nature finance after marathon negotiations in Rome.

Delegates at the UN biodiversity conference – known as Cop16 – broke into applause after finally reaching a deal in the Eternal City following a night of tense and painstaking discussions. Cop16 president Susana Muhamad wept as she brought down the gavel on the agreement outlining a roadmap for nature finance. The agreement broke a deadlock at UN talks seen as a test for international cooperation in the face of geopolitical tensions.