Governments from around the world will convene in Colombia next week for the United Nations’ biodiversity summit (COP16).
It is the first such gathering since parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity committed to developing new strategies and targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at COP15.
But with COP16 less than a week away, more than 80% of countries, including New Zealand, have not submitted updated plans to meet these targets, according to analysis by The Guardian and Carbon Brief.
The summit will run from 21 October – 1 November 2024 in Cali, Colombia.
The Science Media Centre asked experts to comment.
Professor Amanda Black, Director – Bioprotection Aotearoa, Lincoln University, comments:
“Aotearoa New Zealand belongs to the 85% of countries that have failed to submit plans for how they will achieve a range of goals and targets under the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework deadline by set by the UN, which is disappointing but not surprising. The goals being by 2030: Protect 30% of Earth’s lands, oceans, coastal areas, inland waters; reduce by $500 billion annual harmful government subsidies; and cut food waste in half. They are certainly aspirational ones that nations should look towards tailoring for their specific cultural needs, including Indigenous priorities and environments.
“The key points here are that not all countries have access to capacity and capability to prioritise even high-level strategies. If they have, engagement and implementation of such plans are complicated, lengthy and resource hungry, especially if countries want to avoid the top-down approach that fails to engage the public and the communities often left managing biodiversity rich areas.
“That said, Aotearoa should have been able to submit a plan, and work was underway towards implementing Te Mana o te Taiao – Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy 2020. A 2023 progress report listed 204 actions, of which nearly 7% had been completed, with another 50% on track to completion. Given the current governments priorities which are evident in the 100-day action plan, we are unlikely to see this work progress, which further jeopardises the state of our biodiversity and natural infrastructure which supports our primary industries.”
Conflict of interest: Member of MfE Mātauranga and science advisory panel
Associate Professor Jonathan Tonkin, Rutherford Discovery Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, comments:
“COP16 represents a major meeting of parties for the Convention on Biological Diversity, which promotes sustainable development through a vision that involves ecosystems and people.
“In 2022, countries promised to save 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030 to halt the destruction of the world’s ecosystems as part of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. That agreement required countries to submit updated National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans by this year’s COP16 in Colombia.
“Unfortunately, more than 80% of countries have failed to submit plans. New Zealand is one of those countries. This is disappointing.
“New Zealand has a biodiversity strategy (Te Mana o te Taiao), which was released in 2020. This sets the strategic direction for biodiversity in Aotearoa New Zealand for the next 30 years. It’s an ambitious strategy that is needed for a country that is suffering from sustained environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. Yet, we have not submitted an updated strategy and action plan to meet the new targets.
“This comes at a time when New Zealand is going backwards in environmental protection. We’ve seen the introduction of the Fast-Track Approvals Bill, a number of changes that jeopardise the protection and restoration of our freshwaters, which are under immense pressure, and even the introduction of commercial fishing in marine reserves. This is an extremely concerning time for the environment and biodiversity both in New Zealand and globally.
“The world continues to kick the can down the road when it comes to the joint climate change-biodiversity loss challenge. New Zealand needs to do more to protect its biodiversity. It also needs to play its part in the global plan to protect biodiversity.”
No conflicts of interest.
Manu Caddie, Adjunct Research Fellow, Te Kotahi Research Institute, University of Waikato, comments:
“As I arrive in Colombia for the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) for the Convention on Biological Diversity, I am deeply concerned about the contradictions between New Zealand’s international commitments and its domestic policies. The urgency for action is overshadowed by our current administration’s troubling decisions that threaten indigenous ecosystems and the wellbeing of local communities.
“I find it alarming that the government is fast-tracking projects previously deemed environmentally unsustainable and harmful to indigenous ecosystems. Support for new mining, petroleum exploration, and changes to freshwater policy, RMA, ETS and exotic forestry policies, all undermine ecological protections and diminish the role of mana whenua and communities in decision-making.
“This top-down approach contradicts the principles of the Convention New Zealand signed in 1992, which emphasise community involvement in conservation. The Treaty Principles Bill as a precursor to a referendum on Te Tiriti will further marginalise environmental and Treaty rights.
“Recent cuts to public service budgets have left core environmental agencies under-resourced, compromising our biodiversity governance. With New Zealand’s delegation to this COP greatly reduced, any advocacy on biodiversity protection may lack legitimacy, given the domestic policies so at odds with the Convention. I hope this hypocrisy receives the attention it deserves.”
Conflict of interest: I’m an entrepreneur working with indigenous organisms. My position at Waikato is a fixed tenure for two years funded by an MBIE grant. Over the next couple of days I am undertaking meetings organised by the New Zealand Embassy to share perspectives and experiences on a range of issues in Aotearoa, particularly in terms of Māori economic development, biodiversity protection and intellectual property regimes. The visit is being supported by the Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence based at Victoria University of Wellington. My participation at COP16 is supported by the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples.
Dr Kiri Wallace, Research Fellow, Environmental Research Institute, University of Waikato, & Co-Director, Eco-index Ltd., comments:
“The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and upcoming COP16 meeting represent important opportunities for Aotearoa New Zealand to continue our alignment with international initiatives to support native biodiversity.
“Biodiversity (the variety of life on earth) is fundamental to people’s economic, physical and emotional wellbeing. The GBF provides four goals and 23 targets to guide biodiversity efforts, including: ending ecosystem and species loss, protecting and restoring degraded areas, ensuring harvest sustainability and increasing access to natural spaces.
“In Aotearoa New Zealand we should improve actionable commitment to international obligations, as we have increasing numbers of species at extinction risk, and our international market access may be compromised if we don’t up our biodiversity game. We have the ability to ace this through our many, capable voluntary and paid biodiversity protection and restoration experts; but they need better governmental support and funding.
“Aotearoa New Zealand’s commitments to COP16 and GBF should be implemented into national strategy to empower groups dedicated to protecting and restoring biodiversity. We need an updated Implementation Plan for our national biodiversity strategy, Te Mana o te Taiao, that incorporates GBF targets plus commits to adequately supporting our conservation and restoration sector. We must also embrace our National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity.
“Biodiversity is the backbone of Aotearoa New Zealand’s identity, wellbeing and economy, how we care for it defines our legacy for future generations. Our trade agreements are increasingly requiring strong environmental performance. We should view COP16 and the GBF as opportunities to secure our place in world markets through biodiversity investment.”
No conflicts of interest.
Professor Cate Macinnis-Ng, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, comments:
“It is disappointing to see New Zealand amongst the majority of nations that have not produced a plan to reach the goals and targets under the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
“Biodiversity is declining globally but the need for action is particularly pressing in regions where there are high concentrations of biodiversity. Aotearoa New Zealand is a global biodiversity hotspot because of the high proportion of species found nowhere else in the world. For instance, 80% of vascular plants, 86% of mollusks, 81% of arthropods and 60% of vertebrates are endemic to Aotearoa. Thousands of species are under threat or at risk or extinction and many of our rare ecosystems are also under threat.
“Common ecosystems are also in decline, leading to declining functions such as carbon uptake and storage and water cycling and purification. Many more species do not have sufficient data available to assess their threat level.
“We know that climate change is working to exacerbate other threats including invasive species impacts and habitat fragmentation. Without proper protection for species and ecosystems and targeted action to address climate change and other treats to biodiversity, we will continue to lose iconic species and ecosystems. While the deadline has passed for COP16, it is never too late to produce a new National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan to meet the targets outlined in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.”
No conflicts of interest
Dr Duane Peltzer, Principal Scientist, Ecosystem Ecology, Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, comments:
“We are in an era of unprecedented global changes. Some changes like storm damage and natural disasters can have sudden and sometimes profound impacts. Others, like the well-documented global biodiversity crisis, are slower burning and require sustained, co-ordinated action to address. International agreements such as the 2022 Kumming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework offered hope, whereby about 200 countries agreed to protect 30% of habitats by 2030. It is deeply dismaying that most (80%) countries, including Aotearoa New Zealand, have yet to submit a plan for how to meet this ’30 x 30’ goal.
“The upcoming COP16 UN Convention on Biological Diversity meeting is an opportunity to consider whether our current approaches to biodiversity, embodied by our national biodiversity strategy Te Mana o te Taiao and its implementation, are sufficient to meet global targets. New Zealand has shown international leadership in tackling individual biodiversity and biosecurity issues, partly because we’re an island national that is a global hotspot for both biodiversity and biological invasions. A first (and easiest) step to tackle the biodiversity crisis is to update and submit a plan for meeting the worthy ’30 x 30; target. However, greater co-ordination with biosecurity efforts is needed to achieve any goals for protecting or improving biodiversity and our wellbeing.”