Born Free ready to give wildlife a voice at UN Biodiversity Conference in Colombia (CBD COP16)

Two years after the historic adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), COP16 represents the first opportunity to assess global progress towards halting and reversing the catastrophic loss of biodiversity and the decline in the natural world. 

Taking place from 21 October to 1 November in the city of Cali, Colombia, under the theme ‘Peace with Nature’, this large-scale biennial gathering will bring together government and observer delegates from over 190 countries, and offers a critical platform to drive meaningful change by establishing the actions that can shape a truly sustainable and humane future for people and animals alike.

One of the main objectives of COP16 is to ensure countries are taking the urgent and transformative steps to transform the commitments they made under the KMGBF into tangible actions at the national level, and to incentivise cooperation between agencies and people on the ground.

However, with only about a third of the CBD’s signatory countries having submitted their national targets and detailed plans for nature to date, it is evident that efforts to implement the ambitious goals and targets of the KMGBF are currently failing to live up to expectations.

Born Free advocates for bold actions to protect wildlife, people and climate

Born Free, alongside the World Federation for Animals and other like-minded partners, is engaging in negotiations with governments and key stakeholders to position wildlife protection and animal welfare as central components of policies, strategies and solutions aimed at tackling both the biodiversity and climate crises.

We are urging national governments to: 

1. Ensure that countries can be effectively held to account for implementing their commitments under the KMGBF to protect nature: Robust and comprehensive indicators must be used and/or developed, against which countries’ efforts to eliminate the unsustainable and illegal use and trade of wild species, and to minimise the risk of pathogen spillover from wildlife stemming from high-risk activities including wildlife trade, trafficking and commercial live animal markets, can be assessed.
2. Integrate the diverse values of nature into policymaking and across sectors: Prioritising the intrinsic value of wildlife, alongside the ecological and socio-economic benefits it brings to people, in decision-making and across all sectors of society, can lead to  transformative changes that enable both people and nature to thrive.
3. Promote a holistic, precautionary and compassionate approach to wildlife management: The dramatic declines in wildlife populations provide strong impetus to avoid further species exploitation. COP16 must ensure that any new tools and guidance developed under the CBD aim to prevent the exploitation of species, and place wild animal welfare and ecological sustainability at the forefront of biodiversity conservation efforts.
4. Implement humane invasive species management: COP16 should focus on developing strategies to prevent the establishment of ‘invasive species’, by restricting the movement of and trade in species that have the potential to establish themselves outside their native habitats and cause problems for local wildlife and people.  Minimising animal welfare harms whilst aligning management practices with conservation and sustainability objectives is an essential consideration.
5. Adopt an ambitious Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health focused on prevention: The Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health, which should be adopted at COP16, must prioritise measures to tackle the root causes of zoonotic disease emergence (diseases which can spread between animals and people). A One Health approach, which links biodiversity, health, and animal welfare, is critical for addressing these challenges.
6. Recognise the role of wildlife in climate change mitigation: Wild animals play crucial roles in ecosystem processes and functions such as carbon sequestration, and as such offer an important way of mitigating global warming. Measures to strengthen anti-poaching laws and ensure ecosystem integrity and connectivity, whilst transforming food systems, support both biodiversity and climate objectives.

Will COP16 seize the opportunity?

With only five years left to deliver on the promises for biodiversity, we need to do everything we can to ensure that COP16 spurs real action that benefits wildlife, ecosystems and communities around the world. The integration of animal welfare considerations and holistic approaches into decision-making, as well as concrete measures to eliminate wildlife exploitation, will be essential for achieving the ambitious mission of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The outcomes of this conference hold the potential to carve the future of biodiversity for generations to come.

Read our detailed position paper