With two years already passed since the agreement of the historic Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework, and 2030 only five years away, the stakes are high at this year's COP16 in Cali, Colombia. The IUCN Protected and Conserved Areas team are there to support.

Banner Image PCA at COP16
Banner Image PCA at COP16

 

1 - COP16
1 - COP16

Spotlight on Traditional Knowledge - 8J

A key topic this year is the emphasis on traditional knowledge and its central role in area-based conservation. The original text of the 1992 CBD contains “Article 8j”, an element requiring that traditional knowledge, innovations and practices of IP+LCs are respected, preserved and maintained by governments. This coming COP, the proposal to create a new subsidiary body to oversee this work, with a new supporting programme of work provides an exciting opportunity to advance this work. IUCN stands ready to support these components and will make recommendations to adopt these proposals. 

2 - COP16
2 - COP16

Green List Awards

Protected areas, and their diversity and quality, continues to be a key emphasis. In amongst the headline-grabbing data pointing to the ongoing biodiversity crisis, IUCN and partners will recognise conservation done ‘the right way’ – ensuring good governance and real conservation outcomes - at a special Green List Awards ceremony. The ceremony comes hot-on-the-heels of 12 new sites from China, Mexico, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, France and Brazil achieving Green List status.

3 - COP16
3 - COP16

OECMs in focus

Beyond protected areas, the concept of Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) provides an exciting avenue to recognise conservation led by actors other than protected areas agencies. However, there is a need to present and discuss what emerging trends inform on these processes, and what factors ensure they are inclusive and effective. OECMs are also a key part of the “system” of areas for Target 3, and the voluntary contributions from these areas, including from the private sector and adjacent government sectors, and are key because they contribute to ecosystem services – IUCN stands ready to support these areas.

4 - COP16
4 - COP16

Promoting ITTs

The traditional and indigenous territories (ITTs) of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities is another important topic at COP16. IUCN will actively promote the new proposed guidance emerging from key partners the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity for new direction on how to recognise, support and report these areas for their conservation contributions. IUCN will also join partners IIFB and Esri in a special event on the Act30 initiative, to highlight this important pathway to achieving 30x30.

5 - COP16
5 - COP16

A renewed push for 30%

As the conservation world gathers on Cali, Colombia, the IUCN Protected and Conserved Areas Team will launch a number of new initiatives aimed at helping countries to boost their biodiversity conservation efforts. These include the launch of the SOMACORE project, focusing on supporting countries in the Coral Triangle to improve the governance and effectiveness of conserved and protected areas, as well as the new IUCN-EU COLOURS initiative that will boost data-informed decision-making, rights-based approaches and Nature Positive methodologies in the Caribbean, the Pacific and the African continent. Take a look at the IUCN PCA calendar for the full list of events.