Author: Alison Hutchinson

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CBD CoP-16 Colombia

Members of the GBF Task Force convened in Cali to support discussions and negotiations on the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework.  

See our reflections on the two-week negotiations below:

The Task Force participated in fourteen events and discussions with an emphasis on tools to support the development of effective NBSAPs, strengthening OECMs, mapping biodiversity priorities, supporting strategic approaches for implementing Goal A, measuring national progress towards targets, and facilitating the co-ordination of data and expert knowledge. 

Phil McGowan, chair of the GBF Task Force, presented at three side events. On Monday the 21st of October he joined a panel discussion in the IUCN Pavillion on biodiversity data as a common thread in supporting corporate disclosures (Target 15) and assessing financial contributions (Target 19) towards the KMGBF biodiversity outcomes (Goal A) and Nature Positive. He emphasised the need for increased financial contributions from companies to be measured in terms of their impact on biodiversity, so as to avoid perverse outcomes where there is more money contributed, but commercial operations do not stop damaging biodiversity. 

On the 23rd of October, Philip McGowan and Francesca Ridley led a side event on supporting implementation and monitoring of Goal A for species conservation. The event highlighted the need for strategic approaches to support the species elements of the GBF given the huge number of threatened species and the range of actions needed.  During the event, an interactive tool was presented that can support the implementation of Goal A by identifying the main threats driving extinction risk in a given location and identifying species that need urgent management actions. Arvin Diesmos (ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity), and Indira Gamatis (Government of Seychelles) provided important and insightful perspectives on successes and challenges in species conservation across ASEAN and in the Seychelles.  The event concluded that whilst the challenges are significant, there is much in place to build on and support all those acting to conserve species.   

Alison Hutchinson’s engagement with the GBF Task Force concentrates on efforts to bring more of a focus to holistic conservation approaches rooted in ecological justice, human rights, and the rights of nature. She closely followed discussions on Article 8j and the diverse values of biodiversity. During CoP she engaged with practitioners and stakeholders to discuss the application of the GBF’s ‘Considerations’ (Section C) and encourages those who attended to share their thoughts and suggestions to support cross-sectoral collaboration and further anchor the ‘Considerations’ in the Frameworks’ implementation. 

Numerous other events, organized and participated in by members of the Global Biodiversity Framework Task Force, took place over the two-week period. For the full list of events please see our CoP-16 events page.  

 

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Recent events

Our engagement across IUCN SSC networks supports local, national, and global implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework

Explore our recent events below

CBD CoP-16

For a full overview of offical side events, panel discussions, and workshops we engaged with during CoP16 – take a look at our CoP-16 event schedule.

Supporting implementation of Global Biodiversity Framework

July 2024 Webinar series:

The GBF Task Force worked with Reverse the Red to develop this webinar series following the World Species Congress. Phil McGowan, Stuart Butchart, and Francesca Ridley presented: ‘Implementing actions to achieve Target 4 of the Global Biodiversity Framework’. Sean Hoban gave a talk on ‘Conserving genetic diversity through National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans’. Louise Mair presented: ‘An introduction to the STAR metric for business and policy’. Follow the links above to watch the webinars if you missed them!

World Species Congress

May 2024

During this 24 hour conference, Phil McGowan presented ‘A Strategy for Species in the Global Biodiversity Framework’ and discussed the species-related ambitions and goals in the Framework and the need to develop strategies for positive species outcomes.  Ali Hutchinson also presented a Q&A panel with Ragnhild Sollund (University of Oslo), Dany Celermajer (University of Sydney), and Carlos Andrés Baquero-Díaz (New York University) to discuss ‘Justice-informed species conservation and the Global Biodiversity Framework’ and pathways for more justice-informed conservation approaches. 

IUCN SSC Webinar: 1st Ed Global Biodiversity Framework

February 2024

In February we were invited by the SSC Secretariat to present at their 1st edition Global Biodiversity Framework webinar series: ‘Links between the Global Biodiversity Framework and the SSC Network’. The webinar included an introduction from Phil McGowan on the GBF and the development of species-specific targets. Sean Hoban (GBF Task Force and the Conservation Genetics Specialist Group) then gave an overview of guidance and support tools available to track progress on the genetic component of Target 4. Anastasiya Timoshyna (IUCN SSC Medicinal Plant Specialist Group’ then introduced Target 5 and a 5-dimensional sustainability assessment framework to assist in regulating and measuring the sustainability of wildlife use. Finally, Aileen Mill (IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group) developed on Target 6 and previewed the Invasive Alien Species Toolkit (watch this space for upcoming release). 

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Webinars

See below for a collection of presentations hosted by the Task Force during 2024.

1st July 2024

Webinar series: Implemeting actions to achieve Target 4 of the Global Biodiversity Framework

2nd July 2024

Webinar series: Conserving genetic diversity through National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans

3rd July 2024

Webinar series: An introduction to the STAR metric for business and policy

15 May 2024

Justice-informed species conservation and the Global Biodiversity Framework

15th May 2024

The Strategy Needed to Achieve Target 4 of the Global Biodiversity Framework

14-15 May 2024

World Species Congress – Reverse the Red

29th February 2024

SSC Webinar Series 2024. 1st Ed. Global Biodiversity Framework

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CBD CoP-16 events

Members of the GBF Task Force were present at the CBD Biodiversity COP-16 during the last two weeks of October 2024. Details of side events and discussions we were engaged in are below:

21st October 2024

CBD COP-16 IUCN Pavilion Event: The common thread: Biodiversity data disclosure and Nature Positive contributions

22nd October 2024

CBD COP-16 IUCN Pavillion Event: Synergies for species: Accelerating ambitious action for species recovery

22nd October 2024

CBD COP-16 Side Event: The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation – guidance and insight into implementing the new complimentary actions

22nd October 2024

CBD COP-16 Side Event: BON in a Box as a tool for implementation and reporting on the monitoring framework

22nd October 2024

CBD COP-16 IUCN Pavilion Event: The relevance of Key Biodiversity Areas for the Biodiversity Plan

23rd October 2024

CBD COP-16 Nature Positive Pavilion Event: Are we missing half our sites of importance for biodiversity?

23rd October 2024

CBD COP-16 Side Event: Supporting implementation and monitoring of the KMGBF for species conservation

23rd October 2024

CBD COP-16 Side Event: Preventing Global Extinctions and Meeting Global Biodiversity Framework Targets: Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) Site Conservation

25th October 2024

CBD COP-16 Side Event: IUCN Global Guidance on Identifying, Reporting, Monitoring and Strengthening OECMs

25th October 2024

CBD COP-16 Side Event: Practical experience of mapping biodiversity priorities to support national implementation and monitoring of the GBF

25th October 2024

CBD COP-16 Pavilion Event: Genetic diversity indicators GEOBON Pavilion (event in Spanish)

26th October 2024

CBD COP-16 Pavilion Event: Genetic diversity indicators GEOBON Pavilion (event in English)

26th October 2024

CBD COP-16 IUCN Pavilion Event: Considering opportunities of new tools for conservation

27th October 2024

CBD COP-16 Science Policy Forum Event: Intergrating Science and Data for Effective NBSAPs and Community Engagement

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Target 6 in focus:

Eliminate, minimize, reduce and or mitigate the impacts of invasive alien species on biodiversity and ecosystem services by identifying and managing pathways of the introduction of alien species, preventing the introduction and establishment of priority invasive alien species, reducing the rates of introduction and establishment of other known or potential invasive alien species by at least 50 per cent by 2030, and eradicating or controlling invasive alien species, especially in priority sites, such as islands.

Aims | Actions | Assessment

Priorities

  • Prevent establishment of all priority invasive alien species by managing introduction pathways.
  • Prevent and control invasive alien species in priority sites.
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Target 5 in focus:

Ensure that the use, harvesting and trade of wild species is sustainable, safe and legal, preventing overexploitation, minimizing impacts on non-target species and ecosystems, and reducing the risk of pathogen spillover, applying the ecosystem approach, while respecting and protecting customary sustainable use by indigenous peoples and local communities.

Aims | Actions | Assessment

Priorities

  • Sustainable, safe, and legal wildlife exploitation (the prevention of unsafe, unsustainable and illegal use, harvesting and trade of wild species.
  • Preventing the overexploitation of wild species and non-target species.
  • Avoid pathogen spillover.
  • Ensure that customary sustainable use is respected and protected.

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July Webinar Series – 3

An introduction to the STAR metric for business and policy

This webinar presents the Species Threat Abatement and Restoration (STAR) metric, and discusses how it can be used by policy makers and businesses.

STAR quantifies the potential contribution of actions to abate threats and restore habitat towards the reduction of global species extinction risk in any particular place. STAR is intended as a metric for setting and measuring progress towards science-based species conservation targets, for use by actors across all of society.

The underlying data, assumptions and calculation of STAR are explained, and global STAR results for terrestrials amphibians, birds and mammals are presented.

The webinar also provides an opportunity to ask questions about STAR and discuss its uses, and is an important route to consider current and future developments to ensure STAR meets user needs. 

You can find a recording of the webinar below:

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July Webinar Series – 2

Conserving genetic diversity through National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans

Speaker: Sean Hoban

This webinar establishes that all countries can include genetic diversity as a vital component of biodiversity planning; can design targets, action and policy for genetic diversity; and can monitor and report on genetic diversity.

To do so, the webinar first gives an overview of how Parties, as well as non-state entities, can integrate genetic diversity into their National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPS).  This part of the webinar includes ten simple suggestions based on a review of 21 recent NBSAPs (including 8 since the KM GBF) from around the world. 

Following this, a brief explanation of the genetic diversity indicators, including Headline Indicator A.4 is given. Next, the results from a pilot implementation of the headline indicator in nine countries including several megadiverse countries are discussed.  The results of the indicator show that genetic diversity is declining within many populations worldwide.  They also show that data are available and the indicators are affordable and feasible. 

You can find a recording of the webinar below:

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July Webinar Series – 1

Implementing actions to achieve Target 4 of the Global Biodiversity Framework

Speakers: Phil McGowan, Stuart Butchart, Francesca Ridley

To support focussed and effective implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiveristy Framework, especially in the light of the failure to make significant progress on the Aichi Biodiversity Targets by 2020, this webinar gives an overview of Goal A and Target 4 and considers what the negotiated wording of these elements mean in practice.

All Targets are important to achieve the species outcomes in Goal A. Target 4 establishes the need for targeted action in addition to reducing threats through actions under Targets 1-3 and 5-7 and identifies outcomes for species to address species extinctions, extinction risk, and population abundance to be achieved by 2050.

We show that focussed action can avert extinctions, as called for by Target 4. The science is available to support both the identification of the main threats driving extinction risk in a country (or other spatial scale) and to then identify species that require action under Target 4. We conclude the webinar by giving an overview of the newly developed STAR app which can contribute to supporting implementation of Target 4 by quantifying assessments of threats towards species and making this information easily accessible.

You can find a recording of the webinar below: