The Biodiversity COP15, which took place in Montréal, Canada, from 7 to 19 December 2022, was a historic moment, following four years of intensive consultations and delays in the negotiation process due to the COVID pandemic.

The stakes were high:

The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) 7th Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, released in 2019, warned about unprecedented extinction rates and described increasing threats to  biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, from climate change, increasing urbanization, unchecked unsustainable production and consumption patterns, unsustainable agricultural practices to deforestation, which exacerbate biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation;

The World Economic Forum (WEF)  2022 Global Risks Report, identified biodiversity loss as the 3rd highest most severe risk on the global scale over the next 10 years (up from 5th place in the 2021 Global Risks Report);

The global scorecard on achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (ABTs), adopted at COP10 in Nagoya in 2010, was dismal: the 5th Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-5), released in September 2020, demonstrated that none of the ABT’s had been met, and the world was not on track for the 2050 Biodiversity Vision of ‘living in harmony with nature’;

The COVID-19 pandemic brought the consequences of nature’s decline into stark reality, and reminded us of the interconnectedness between nature and people. Urban communities, and particularly the vulnerable and marginalized communities within cities, were most impacted by the consequences of the disconnect between nature and people; and

In his 2020 “The State of the Planet” address delivered at Columbia University, Antonio Guterres, United Nations (UN) Secretary General warned that “Humanity is waging war on nature. This is suicidal. Nature always strikes back – and it is already doing so with growing force and fury. Biodiversity is collapsing. One million species are at risk of extinction. Ecosystems are disappearing before our eyes … Human activities are at the root of our descent toward chaos. But that means human action can help to solve it.” He added that ‘making peace with nature’ should be the defining task of the 21st Century.

Role of subnational and local governments a ‘game changer’ at COP15

The mobilization and level of commitment and solidarity among subnational and local leaders at COP15 participating in the 7th Summit for Subnational Governments and Cities, held as an official parallel event to COP15 on 11 and 12 December in the main negotiation room, and the first ever associated Pavilion from 7 to 17 December, represented a historic game changer. There were more than 200 subnational and local government leaders representing 300+ cities and regions from 70+ countries around the world.

The Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework (Decision 15/4) urges Parties to implement the Framework, and in particular, to enable participation at all levels of government through the whole of government approach. It calls for urgent and transformative action by governments, specifically mentioning subnational and local authorities, and all of society, to halt and reverse biodiversity loss to achieve the outcomes it sets out in its targets and goals, in defining the Purpose of the Framework [1]. Subnational and local governments are also included under provisions relating to the revision, development, updating, implementation, monitoring and review of NBSAPs [2]; and the whole of government and society approach [3]. 

Additionally, several of the Framework’s 23 action-oriented global targets are relevant to both subnational and local governments – the extent to which this is relevant will depend on their respective roles and functions as determined nationally. For example the so-called ‘30 by 30 targets’: Target 2, which aims to ensure that by 2030 at least 30 percent of areas of degraded terrestrial, inland water, and coastal and marine ecosystems are under effective restoration; Target 3, which aims to ensure and enable that by 2030 at least 30 percent of terrestrial, inland water, and of coastal and marine areas, is effectively conserved and managed; Target 7, which is concerned with reducing pollution risks and the negative impact of pollution from all sources to levels that are not harmful to biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services by 2030; and Target 11, which seeks to restore, maintain and enhance nature’s contributions to people (NCP) through nature-based solutions (NBS) and/or ecosystem-based approaches (EBA) for the benefit of all people and nature. With direct reference to urban and densely populated areas, Target 12 urges for increasing the area, quality and connectivity, and improving access to and benefits from green and blue spaces in urban areas. This can be achieved by mainstreaming the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity; ensuring biodiversity-inclusive urban planning; and enhancing ecological connectivity and integrity thereby improving human health and well-being and connection to nature, and contributing to inclusive and sustainable urbanization, and the provision of ecosystem functions and services. Referring to ‘within and across all levels of government’, Target 14 aims specifically at addressing biodiversity mainstreaming by seeking to ensure that biodiversity issues are integrated into policies, regulations, planning and different strategies within and across all levels of government to make cities and regions more livable places.

The Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), along with five other Decisions, was adopted as a package: 15/5 – Monitoring framework of the GBF; 15/6 – Mechanism for planning, monitoring, reporting and reviewing; Decision 15/7 – Resource mobilization; Decision 15/8 – capacity-building and development and technical and scientific cooperation; and Decision 15/9 – digital sequence information on genetic resources [4]. With the exception of Decision 15/9, all these Decisions address key implementation issues that are also reflected in the action areas of the POA in the Decision on engaging subnational and local governments to enhance the implementation of the framework (discussed below), and as such have a bearing on subnational and local governments to some extent:

Other Decisions that are relevant to subnational and local governments are the following [5]:

The key Decision regarding subnational and local governments is that on Engagement with subnational governments, cities and other local authorities to enhance implementation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework and its Plan of Action for 2022-2030 (CBD/COP/15/L22). This Decision and POA, which renewed Decision 10/22 adopted at COP15 in Nagoya, is significant for a number of reasons:

• It represents the continuation, since 2010, of the only mechanism for multilevel governance and a comprehensive plan of action for the decade ahead, in the three Rio Conventions;
• It is significantly more ambitious than the 2010 Decision, and shows stronger commitment on the part of the Parties. For example, it encourages Parties to facilitate – as appropriate according to national legislation – the involvement of local and subnational governments in the revision, implementation and updating of national biodiversity strategies and actions plans (NSAPs); and the allocation of human, technical and financial resources in line with Principle 2 of the ecosystem approach, which states that “Management should be decentralized to the lowest appropriate level” [6]. It also urges Parties to support their subnational and local governments in strengthening their capacities to improve the implementation of the GBF;
• It provides a comprehensive POA with a catalog of activities, grouped into seven interrelated and complementary action areas, and the following clear objectives, to support Parties, and their subnational and local governments and their partners in implementing the GBF:
  • To increase the engagement of subnational and local governments in supporting the successful implementation of, and reporting on, national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs), the GBF and the programs of work under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD);
  • To improve regional and global coordination and exchange of lessons learned between Parties, regional and global organizations, United Nations and development agencies, and other key stakeholders on ways and means to encourage and support subnational and local governments in managing biodiversity sustainably, providing ecosystem services to citizens and mainstreaming biodiversity into urban and territorial planning and development;
  • To identify, enhance and disseminate policy tools, guidelines, financial mechanisms or instruments, and programs that facilitate subnational and local action on biodiversity and build subnational and local governments’ capacity to support their national Governments in implementing the CBD; and
  • To facilitate the development of awareness-raising programs on biodiversity in line with communication, education and public awareness strategies.
• It recognizes (in Action Area 7, Monitoring and reporting of the POA) CitiesWithNature and RegionsWithNature as the place where cities will monitor and report on their voluntary commitments to national and global biodiversity targets; and for the inclusion of such contributions into National Reports under the CBD.

So what can, and should, subnational and local governments do going forward to support the implementation of the GBF and shift the trajectory to nature positive development and scale out green solutions?

For a start, they can join CitiesWithNature and RegionsWithNature, and capture their commitments to take concrete action for biodiversity on the Action Platform, thereby becoming part of the global community of subnational and local governments taking and reporting on actions for biodiversity and supporting their national governments in implementing the GBF and NBSAPs. This will also facilitate easier coordination between national, subnational and local governments in gathering and using data for the National Reports under the CBD. And it will serve, in turn, to inspire other subnational and local governments to follow their lead, thereby amplifying and scaling out actions for biodiversity.

Secondly, subnational and local governments can introduce projects, programs and measures that are directed at implementing their commitments and contributing to one or more of the GBF targets, This will demonstrate their support to the successful implementation of NBSAPs, the GBF and the programs of work under the Convention on Biological Diversity. For example, actions taken at the local and subnational scales to restore degraded ecosystems, protect areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, and implement other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) can contribute to the achievement of the ‘30 x 30’ targets (Targets 2 and 3). Furthermore, the restoration of degraded ecosystems will gain traction with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and offers opportunities for sustainable job creation, food security and addressing climate change while also contributing to the SDGs.  With regard to Target 7, cities can take an active role in reducing sewage pollution and reducing plastic pollution that is harmful to biodiversity. And in the case of Target 11, in addition to protecting and restoring ecosystem functions, subnational governments can raise awareness about ecosystems, such as urban wetland restoration, and how they benefit people through flood control especially in flood-prone inland and coastal areas; whereas cities in close proximity to and dependent on wetlands, especially Wetlands of International Importance, and that value their wetlands, can apply to the Wetland City Accreditation scheme under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, to gain international recognition of their wetlands. Cities specifically should increase the area, quality and connectivity of, and access to, green and blue spaces in their areas of jurisdictions to ensure that they contribute to Target 12. Both subnational and local governments should ensure they mainstream biodiversity into sector and development plans, policies and budgets to contribute to Target 14.  For example, to reduce pollution in cities requires the application of appropriate laws, cleaner production guidelines, the sustainable management of food waste and effective waste water management. To reach net improvements in natural ecosystems by 2050, all decision making should take the health of ecosystems into consideration. Mainstreaming is also encouraged to be applied to finance and business sectors, including heavy industries such as mining and oil and gas, and agriculture that all have a large impact on biodiversity.

Thirdly,  subnational and local governments can collaborate with their national governments and develop action plans to implement that POA, including actions aimed at providing ecosystem services to citizens and integrating biodiversity concerns into urban and territorial planning and development. They can also encourage their national governments to identify, enhance and disseminate policy tools, guidelines, financial mechanisms or instruments, and programs that will facilitate subnational and local action on biodiversity and build their capacity in implementing the CBD.

In addition to the above, subnational and local governments should familiarize themselves with the COP15 Decisions and ensure that they take steps and implement measures such as to develop invasive alien species strategies and action plans (where these don’t yet exist); support and engage in national efforts and programs to conserve and ensure the sustainable use of marine and coastal biodiversity, as well as in integrating the One Health approach in the implementation of NBSAPs and national health plans.

To conclude: The Parties adopted an ambitious framework, and subnational and local leaders set the bar high in committing to action, creating an expectation that the successful implementation of the GBF will, in respect of certain aspects, hinge on subnational and local governments’ performance. NOW is the time to demonstrate the impact of collective local action on reaching global targets, bending the curve in biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, and turning the tide in the ‘war on nature’.

[1] Article 4: The Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework aims to catalyze, enable and galvanize urgent and transformative action by Governments, and subnational and local authorities, with the involvement of all of society, to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, to achieve the outcomes it sets out in its Vision, Mission, Goals and Targets, and thereby contribute to the three objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and to its Protocols. Its purpose is the full implementation of the three objectives of the Convention in a balanced manner.

[2] Article 5: The framework is action- and results-oriented and aims to guide and promote, at all levels, the revision, development, updating, and implementation of policies, goals, targets, and national biodiversity strategies and actions plans, and to facilitate the monitoring and review of progress in a more transparent and responsible manner.

[3] Article 10: This is a framework for all – for the whole of government and the whole of society. Its success requires political will and recognition at the highest level of government, and relies on action and cooperation by all levels of government and by all actors of society.

[4] https://www.cbd.int/conferences/2021-2022/cop-15/documents

[5] At the time of writing numbers had only been assigned to the afore-mentioned GBF package of Decisions, and none yet to the remaining Decisions adopted at COP15. For the purposes of referring to the as yet ‘unnumbered’ Decisions, their Limited Document numbers are cited in this article. The unnumbered Decisions have not been uploaded onto the CBD website yet.

[6] Adopted in CBD Decision V/6.