Rome: Delegates at the UN’s COP16 conference in Rome have reached a critical agreement on funding biodiversity conservation, breaking a deadlock that had stalled negotiations for over a year.
The deal maps out a financial framework to protect species and ecosystems, supporting the ambitious goal of conserving at least 30% of the world’s land and seas by 2030.
This compromise comes after last year’s failed COP16 summit in Cali, Colombia, and is seen as a key test of international cooperation amid rising global tensions. Scientists have long warned that urgent action is needed, with a million species at risk of extinction due to deforestation, pollution, and unsustainable practices.
Delegates stood and applauded in an emotionally charged final meeting as COP16 President Susana Muhamad of Colombia declared it a “historic day,” and highlighted the adoption of the first global plan to finance biodiversity conservation.
The deal builds on a 2022 commitment to deliver $200 billion annually for Nature Protection by 2030, including $30 billion from wealthier nations to developing countries.
However, current contributions remain far below that target, with only $15 billion provided in 2022, according to the OECD. The agreement sets out two main priorities: securing the additional funds and deciding which institutions will manage their distribution.
🚨A historic day for biodiversity! At #COP16Resumed, we achieved the adoption of the first global plan to finance the conservation of life on Earth.
📌 Resource mobilization
📌 Financial mechanism
📌 Monitoring framework🔎 The implementation of the Global Biodiversity… pic.twitter.com/DtCr0Z7xDG
— Susana Muhamad (@susanamuhamad) February 27, 2025
Brazil played a crucial role in the negotiations, presenting a compromise proposal on behalf of the BRICS nations—Russia, China, and India—which sought to balance differing views on biodiversity financing.
While the deal is a major milestone, experts warn that action must follow quickly. Georgina Chandler of the Zoological Society of London emphasized that with only five years left to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, securing and deploying funds is more urgent than ever.
Beyond financial commitments, the agreement also strengthens monitoring mechanisms to ensure accountability and measure progress toward global biodiversity goals.
The breakthrough is especially significant given recent failures in global environmental negotiations. The Cali summit’s collapse was the first of several disappointments in 2024, including setbacks at the COP29 climate finance talks and stalled discussions on desertification and plastic pollution.
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