COP16 Rome: BIO-CAPITAL Project Ready to Help Close the Biodiversity Finance Gap
The resumed session of the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) concluded on 27 February 2025 in Rome, marking a significant step forward in global biodiversity conservation finance.
Governments reached crucial agreements on resource mobilization, setting the course for securing the necessary funding to protect ecosystems and achieve international biodiversity targets. Among the key outcomes was a comprehensive strategy to close the biodiversity finance gap, ensuring that the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) can be effectively implemented.
A Global Commitment to Biodiversity Finance
The Convention on Biological Diversity, established in 1992, is an international treaty aimed at conserving biodiversity, promoting sustainable use, and ensuring the fair distribution of benefits derived from genetic resources. With 196 Parties, the CBD is a near-universal framework guiding global efforts to address threats to biodiversity. Through scientific assessments, technological exchange, policy incentives, and the engagement of diverse stakeholders—including indigenous peoples, local communities, NGOs, and the business sector—the Convention fosters a cooperative approach to biodiversity conservation.
A key achievement of COP16 in Rome was the adoption of a strategy for resource mobilization, laying the foundation for permanent financial mechanisms under the Convention. Governments agreed on a plan to generate the necessary funds to safeguard biodiversity, with an ambitious target of mobilizing at least 200 billion USD annually by 2030. This includes an increase in international biodiversity funding, rising from 20 billion USD per year by 2025 to 30 billion USD by 2030. To achieve this, the strategy incorporates various funding sources, including public finance from national and local governments, private investments, philanthropic contributions, multilateral development bank funding, and blended financial instruments. And this is, where the BIO-CAPITAL project wants to contribute with novel financial instruments, leveraging private capital investments for biodiversity protection.
New Financial Tools to Bridge the Biodiversity Finance Gap
In addition to government commitments, COP16 emphasized the role of such innovative financial instruments in closing the biodiversity finance gap. The adopted Strategy for Resource Mobilization highlights a broad range of mechanisms to support biodiversity funding, encouraging the development of novel financial solutions. This multi-faceted approach aims to attract investments from both public and private sectors, leveraging sustainable finance models to drive conservation efforts.
An example for private financial efforts could be BIO-CAPITAL with its dedication to developing financial instruments supporting biodiversity conservation. The BIO-CAPITAL consortium partners closely followed the discussions in Rome, recognizing the conference’s outcomes as pivotal for shaping future biodiversity finance strategies. By aligning with the goals set at COP16, BIO-CAPITAL and similar initiatives can contribute to bridging the finance gap and ensuring that biodiversity protection remains a global priority.
The coming BIO-CAPITAL project actions will be critical in translating these financial pledges into impactful conservation actions, ensuring that biodiversity remains a cornerstone of sustainable development in Europe and worldwide.
Photo Credit: ©FAO/Pier Paolo Cito
