Can we save the planet and the life that’s on it?

As nations gather in Baku for COP29 to fight climate change, a less noticed gathering took place in Colombia to protect the myriad forms of life we might lose.

Colombia, a South American country that boasts some of the planet’s most diverse ecosystems, stands at the crossroads of immense natural wealth and profound ecological challenges.

More than 40% of the country is in the Amazon. Yet, this jewel of nature faces relentless threats from deforestation, illegal activities and armed conflict.

This is why its choice to host Biodiversity COP16 or the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity was not just symbolic.

The conference that ended 1 November 2024 underscored the urgent need to address the multifaceted challenges that Colombia embodies and the global implications of its environmental crisis.

It was a pivotal moment for global leaders, environmental organizations and stakeholders to address the accelerating ecological crisis facing our planet and devise strategies to protect biodiversity.

Life forms depend on each other.

Biodiversity is the variety of all life on Earth: animals, plants, fungi and micro-organisms like bacteria. Together, they provide us with everything necessary for survival, including fresh water, clean air, food and medicines.

But humans can’t get these benefits from individual species alone; a rich variety of living things must work together in tandem.

Plants, for instance, are crucial in improving our environment by cleaning the air, controlling temperatures and offering protection against climate change.

When we lose biodiversity, we disrupt these vital processes, which poses a significant threat to both ecological balance and human survival. Without a concerted global effort to preserve biodiversity, we risk undermining the very foundation of our existence.

With 18% of the world’s bird species and a significant portion of the Amazon rainforest, Colombia hosts an extraordinary variety of species and ecosystems.

Successes and failures

Ultimately, many viewed COP16 as a flop. It failed to secure crucial funding agreements or establish a robust framework for monitoring progress. Instead there were prolonged and often trivial negotiations that hindered meaningful progress. A lack of consensus and unresolved critical issues left many frustrated and disappointed.

But though the summit faced significant challenges and fell short of some key goals, it did achieve important milestones, such as the creation of a $1 billion a year fund for conserving biodiversity with half of the money to be allocated to Indigenous peoples and local communities.

These positive steps lay the groundwork for more inclusive and effective conservation efforts. 

The real potential of COP16 lay in its ability to drive significant global action on biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation while focusing on five main impact areas.

First, the conference reviewed the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which includes ambitious targets such as protecting at least 30% of the world’s land and water and restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030. Delegates demonstrated how action plans in their home nations align with this framework.

Funding biodiversity

Another impact area focused on tracking the progress and ensuring adequate funding for biodiversity initiatives. It included the development of a comprehensive monitoring framework and advancing resource mobilization for the Global Biodiversity Framework.

Additionally, COP16 aimed to create a multilateral system for the fair and equitable sharing of benefits gained from genetic sequencing.

Finally, COP16 called for the consideration of biodiversity into climate policies and translating these commitments into concrete actions so that biodiversity loss will be addressed along with climate change.

Colombia’s rainforests have faced significant deforestation over the years, driven primarily by land clearing for cattle.

Pasture expansion has led to forest area fragmentation, threatening regional connections between the Amazon, the Andes and the Orinoco basin — a watershed of some 99 million hectares or roughly 382,000 square miles. Colombia says it will cut deforestation to 50,000 hectares a year by 2030. But a resurgence of illegal activities and a lack of effective policies have hindered progress.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia known as FARC can slow or accelerate deforestation at will hindering the government’s efforts. The presence of these groups not only hampers conservation efforts but also endangers the lives of local communities and environmental activists,

Ironically, Colombia itself shows how far we are from reaching the goal of protecting and conserving at least 30% of the planet by the end of the decade. The UN believes the goal is now out of reach.

People play a role.

Important players in the protection of biodiversity conservation are the indigenous people who live there.

Indigenous peoples make up 6% of the world’s population, but safeguard over 40% of the planet’s remaining pristine ecosystems. Nearly half of the untouched areas in the Amazon rainforest are managed by Indigenous communities.

Local communities emphasize the critical importance of sustainable livelihoods and the protection of their ancestral lands. These communities have a deep connection to the land and understand the significance of preserving it for future generations.

In October 2024 Associated Press reporter Steve Grattan spotlighted an indigenous community in San Isidro, Colombia, for example, that set up a nature reserve in a region devastated by illegal gold mining enforced by armed groups. Mosaquera’s reserve is one of many initiatives by local communities to restore the Atrato River, a life source for the community. One of the community members explained to Grattan the complexity of the issue; many of the families are involved with mining or armed activities.

In another example, Colombian journalist Anastasia Moloney in 2022 spotlighted the Tanimuca ethnic group, which consists of about 300 people, who are facing increasing threats from expanding agriculture, mining and logging. Despite these challenges, the community is training the next generation of Indigenous leaders to defend the Amazon and ensure the survival of their traditions and the rainforest.

The Biodiversity COP16 summit presented an unprecedented opportunity to address the intertwined crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. The challenges faced by Colombia are emblematic of the broader global struggle to protect our natural world.

While many were ultimately disappointed in what they thought was a lack of achievement, outside of the conference thousands of groups around the world are tirelessly working to protect biodiversity, offering hope that future summits can build on these achievements and drive meaningful progress.

The stories from Colombia’s rainforests, like those of Pablo Galindo Tanimuca and the San Isidro community, remind us that the fight for biodiversity is not just about protecting nature — it’s about preserving cultures, livelihoods and the very fabric of life on Earth.

Three questions to consider:

1. How can international cooperation be strengthened to support local communities in their conservation efforts against illegal activities and deforestation?
2. How can global policies better address the challenges posed by armed groups in conservation areas?
3. What lessons can other countries learn from Colombia’s approach to biodiversity conservation?

Karolina Krakowiak is News Decoder’s Project Management Intern for The Writing’s on the Wall. Leaving engineering behind and following her passion, Karo decided to move to Paris and pursue a Master’s degree in International Management and Sustainability at the American University in Paris. Both in her professional and private life, she prioritizes nature, kindness and mindfulness.