With a million species on the brink of extinction and 70 percent of global ecosystems degraded, the Cop16 biodiversity summit opens in Colombia on Monday as the window to prevent devastating losses is closing.
Leaders and delegates from 200 countries meeting in the south-western city of Cali are under mounting pressure to protect the planet’s remaining biodiversity.
The 12-day event will serve as the first major checkpoint on commitments made a year ago to safeguard 30 percent of the planet’s land and seas by 2030. Other key targets include restoring degraded ecosystems, reducing pesticide use, cutting destructive farming subsidies, and tackling invasive species.
The stakes are especially high for Colombia – the world’s second most biodiverse country after Brazil – which is seeking to position itself as a conservation leader despite battling severe environmental destruction of its own.
Rampant deforestation, notably for coca plantations, has surged since Colombia made a peace deal with Farc rebels in 2016.
South America has been grappling with multiple crises, including devastating wildfires that have fuelled the destruction of critical ecosystems like the Amazon. Illegal mining and agriculture, meanwhile, are accelerating environmental degradation and exacerbating climate change.
Underscoring the importance of regional leadership, Colombian Environment Minister Susana Muhamad described the event as "a Latin American moment".
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who will host the Cop30 climate conference a year from now, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum will be among the key leaders present.
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Indigenous rights
Indigenous peoples, recognised as key guardians of nature, are expected to play a central role at Cop16, though their demands for more influence and direct funding remain unmet.
While they account for only about 5 percent of the world’s population, indigenous peoples protect 80 percent of biodiversity, according to the World Bank.
Despite this, they continue to face threats from land dispossession, illegal mining and violence.
Dario Mejia Montalvo, former president of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and a leader of Colombia’s Zenu people, will be among those pushing for stronger rights and more direct access to funding.
"Money in itself is not the objective, but recognising indigenous rights and strengthening their governance structures will require resources," Montalvo told Mongabay, an environmental news site.
“International structures were created without indigenous inclusion. They were designed to exclude us.”
The real test, Montalvo added, would be whether indigenous rights are genuinely respected and integrated into global biodiversity plans. “It’s about recognising that biodiversity is not just a landscape issue but a relationship between people and nature.”
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Funding gaps
With species disappearing at an unprecedented rate, the window for action is closing. As things stand, only 17 percent of land and about 8 percent of oceans are protected.
Talks at Cop16 will focus on pressuring wealthy nations to deliver the promised $30 billion annually to support biodiversity protection in developing countries.
So far, pledges to a new biodiversity fund have fallen far short, with only about $400 million secured – and even less disbursed. Countries like China may also be called on to play a larger financial role.
"This will be an implementation and financing Cop," said Hugo-Maria Schally, the European Union’s lead negotiator at the summit.
The headlining "30 by 30" target agreed at Cop15 in Montreal, to conserve 30 percent of the world’s land and oceans by 2030, is lagging behind schedule.
The UN has warned that without urgent and coordinated global action, the goal of halting biodiversity loss by 2030 could slip out of reach.
Dual crises
But the summit isn’t just about money. Aligning climate and biodiversity goals is critical, with growing recognition that the two crises are inseparable. Biodiversity loss weakens nature’s ability to store carbon and support ecosystems vital for human survival.
"The linked crises of climate change and biodiversity loss are increasingly tormenting our lives," said Patricia Zurita of Conservation International, citing recent catastrophic wildfires and floods.
Meanwhile, fewer than half of the world’s countries have aligned their climate plans with their nature commitments. This misalignment continues to hamper global efforts to address the twin environmental crises.
The summit, which runs until 1 November, will test whether world leaders are prepared to bridge the gap between pledges and action on biodiversity, or risk allowing the ongoing destruction of ecosystems to continue unchecked.
