Students and faculty will travel to Cali, Colombia, later this month to participate in the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, also known as COP16. They will join policymakers, Indigenous communities, youth groups, and others working to halt human-induced species extinction.
Students, faculty, and staff from across YSE and Yale will join negotiators, policymakers, Indigenous communities, youth groups, and business representatives from more than 190 countries at the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, (CBD) COP16. This year's conference, taking place in Cali, Colombia, from October 21-November 1, is considered the first implementation COP since the adoption of the historic Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which sets 23 targets and four overarching goals to halt human-induced species extinction.
“Global conservation is increasingly recognizing that biodiversity, or more accurately nature, and its conservation and restoration merits airtime and a serious conversation along with climate change and other global issues. I expect this to be one of the most sophisticated CBD COPs ever,” said Eli Fenichel, Knobloch Family Professor of Natural Resource Economics, who will host a discussion on the distinction between funding nature and financing it at the UN conference.
World leaders will be looking to reach an agreement on a concrete plan to meet those goals and negotiate their monitoring framework. Countries also are expected to submit updated National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) this year. Humans have altered 75% of land and 66% of marine environments. Pollution, climate change, habitat loss, and exploitation of nature have pushed a million plant and animal species to the brink of extinction, resulting in a 73% decline in the average size of monitored wildlife populations in just 50 years (1970-2020), according to World Wildlife Fund‘s (WWF) 2024 Living Planet Report.
“Can we figure out how to pay for conservation? The most striking quantitative targets in the Global Biodiversity Framework are around paying for conservation of nature and biodiversity. This means getting clear on how we measure and value changes in biodiversity, and what are we going to forgo, in effect, how will we pay for the conservation the world has agreed upon,” Fenichel said.
A total of 13 students will be traveling to Colombia with YSE, working with an array of governmental and nongovernmental delegations, including those from the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the government of Liberia, and the Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco, among others.
Several of the student participants took time out from their studies and conference preparations to talk with YSE News about what they hope to achieve at CBD COP16.
The Pew Charitable Trusts
"At YSE, I'm focusing on conservation and restoration for community resilience. This past summer, I interned with a conservation NGO in Brazil and researched how that organization integrates local people and institutions into its work. The Convention on Biological Diversity and the Global Biodiversity Framework emphasize the human benefits that come from protecting and restoring biodiversity and the importance of equitable access to knowledge and the decision-making processes. In the future, I envision doing work that advances those objectives and makes conservation more responsive to its social context.
I'm partnering with The Pew Charitable Trusts to support their delegation and their goals to advance and track negotiations around targets within the Global Biodiversity Framework. Pew has several international projects focused on marine and coastal biodiversity, so they're especially concerned about targets that address these topics. I want to hear the conversations that are happening on a global level and learn how to influence them. I want to add value for my partner delegation, spend time with people who have different cultural and professional backgrounds but a shared vision, and absorb new ideas that (can) shape my personal theory of change."
EcoHealth Alliance
As part of the EcoHealth Alliance delegation, I'll be supporting the government of Liberia’s delegation in showcasing their leadership in biodiversity conservation, with an emphasis on their progress toward the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework's Target 3, which is to have 30% of its land under conservation status by 2030. My support of the delegation involves logistical planning, stakeholder coordination, and critical document preparation and revision.
My research at YSE aims to identify key determinants of forest resource use by rural community members in Liberia. The ultimate goal is to highlight the importance of intact forests for community livelihoods and income generation. Having worked in Liberia over the past several years, I have to come to realize that many of the biodiversity conservation programs funded by various agencies and implemented by the government and NGOs are designed based on decisions made and targets set during the CBD COPs. Until now, I have been on the domestic implementation side of things; I am excited to attend the CBD COP for the first time to observe and better understand how these international-level decisions are made and how they ultimately trickle down and are implemented at the country level.
Selvitas, Amazon Investor Coalition, Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco
As a Colombian at CBD COP16, I'll be representing Selvitas, the organization I founded, alongside my roles as a board member of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation's Latin America branch and Colombia Ambassador for the Amazon Investor Coalition. My core focus is the conservation and restoration of tropical forest landscapes, with a deep commitment to empowering Indigenous peoples and local communities. Moreover, I'm also producing the Jaguar Expedition documentary to protect and restore their biological corridors. In addition to organizing an event in the Green Zone, I'll speak at the Global Landscapes Forum Investment Symposium and the Humboldt Institute, where I'll share our approach to youth empowerment and nature-based solutions.
This work builds upon my academic pursuits at Yale, particularly in courses such as Tropical Forest Ecology and Conservation, Environmental Philanthropy, and Ocean Policy. My objective is to forge partnerships that will strengthen our work in Colombia while also gaining insights that will enrich my studies and projects at Yale. I am particularly interested in tracking the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, ensuring that it meets global biodiversity targets and also supports national priorities. As Colombia plays a leading role in this pivotal CBD COP, I'm eager to contribute to the discussions that will shape the future of biodiversity and climate action.
CGIAR
My research at YSE focuses on how different agricultural land management practices affect global emissions and what models are net GHG sources v. sinks. I want to raise awareness of the importance of agriculture, agroforestry, and livestock systems in meeting emissions and biodiversity goals at CBD COP16. I hope to learn more about how and what goes into global negotiations and treaties and how they impact people, funding, and research.
I'll work with the CGIAR's Environmental Health and Biodiversity (EH&B) Platform — a leading agriculture innovation network that researches food security and sustainability. The EH&B Platform promotes research, innovation, and the implementation of practices that emphasize the importance of integrating environmental health and biodiversity into agricultural systems. I am excited to represent the EH&B Platform at CBD COP16 and inform on how our work relates to and fulfills targets in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
