Cali (d.de and dpa) – The World Biodiversity Conference COP16 in Colombia ended without an agreement on further funding measures. German Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke nevertheless emphasised that progress had been made, in particular in terms of the closer involvement of indigenous communities and improved integration of climate and nature conservation. “The protection and sustainable use of biodiversity protects the climate, too – and vice versa. We need to do more to promote the reciprocal effects involved here,” she said in Cali. “The climate crisis and species extinction are closely linked – we can only tackle these two crises together.”
One important decision made at the conference concerns the commitment on the part of pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries that utilise genetic resources from developing countries. In future, companies are to pay 0.1 percent of their turnover or one percent of their profits into a fund to support the countries of the Global South.
According to the environmental organisation WWF Germany, however, the lack of consensus on future funding has been a setback. “This could seriously jeopardise the implementation of the World Wildlife Treaty,” said the WWF, adding that the goal of halting the loss of biodiversity by 2030 was a long way from being achieved as a result of this disagreement.
Despite the failure of the financing negotiations, Germany is increasing its financial contribution: in the current year, the German government is providing 1.36 billion euros for the conservation of species and ecosystems in developing and newly industrialising countries – around 450 million euros more than in the previous year.
