Historic Agreement at COP16: Indigenous Body Established for Biodiversity

Delegates at the COP16 biodiversity summit in Colombia have established a subsidiary body to include Indigenous peoples in conservation discussions. This decision acknowledges the importance of traditional knowledge systems for biodiversity management and settles a historic debt in the Convention on Biological Diversity. Additionally, a measure recognizing the role of people of African descent in nature protection was adopted. Despite this progress, financial pledges for biodiversity conservation remain significantly insufficient, raising concerns over wildlife population declines.