Posted on October, 11 2021

What is happening?

The UN Biodiversity talks (CBD COP15), delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, are taking place in two parts. The first, scheduled for 11-15 October, includes a meeting of world leaders which will culminate in the adoption of the Kunming Declaration.

The Declaration will signal the ambition for the second part of the COP15, scheduled for 25 April - 8 May 2022, where countries are due to agree on future rules and actions on nature – known as the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.

Why does it matter?
The post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework will define ambitions and actions that impact nature over the next 10 years. This means that decisions made at COP15 have the potential to turn the tide on nature loss and climate change, moving towards a nature-positive future [1], and subsequently help us transition to a world that can sustain generations for years to come. The Kunming Declaration is a chance for leaders to show they are committed to securing an ambitious and transformational global biodiversity agreement next year. This is important because the current draft of the biodiversity framework falls short on several critical aspects, including on finance and on the drivers of biodiversity loss, and needs to be urgently strengthened.

Andreas Baumuller, Head of Natural Resources at WWF European Policy Office, said:
"CBD COP15 presents a once-in-a-decade opportunity to secure for biodiversity what the Paris Agreement did for the climate. But the current draft of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework is weak in several key areas, so it is essential that leaders use the October summit to show that they are serious about securing a transformational outcome. The EU can signal the direction of travel by fully committing to its own ambitions at home, and the two upcoming laws on deforestation and nature restoration are key opportunities in this regard.”

Katarina Macejakova, Head of EU Development Funding & Policy at WWF European Policy Office, said:
“The European Commission recently announced a doubling in development cooperation spending for biodiversity, which would amount to EUR 7bn for the next seven years. While this goes only a small way to bridging the global USD 700bn funding gap [2] on biodiversity, it represents almost 10% of the EU’s entire external budget, which is significant. On the eve of the global biodiversity negotiations, the EU has thus sent a very important political signal, and will hopefully inspire other parties to up their game in return!”

What does it mean for the EU?
WWF is calling on the EU to lead the way to an ambitious agreement on the global biodiversity framework, and ensure that its global ambition is reflected in its domestic action. This means the EU needs to:

• Adopt ambitious legally binding targets to restore nature within its own borders.
• Adopt a law to address EU-driven tropical deforestation, which must also cover savannahs and other natural ecosystems.
• Step up the protection of old-growth and primary forests, which are critical to climate adaptation and mitigation measures.
• Set up a global biodiversity facility for the implementation of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework towards partner countries 
• Review its approach to tracking biodiversity and climate spending in its development funding and to “biodiversity proofing” the Global Europe instrument.

Notes to editors
[1] See A Global Goal for Nature - Nature Positive by 2030
[2] Deutz et al., Financing Nature: Closing the Global Biodiversity Financing Gap, 2020