CABI News

CABI has taken part in the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) which seeks to take decisive measures for the protection of biological diversity.

Dr Yelitza Colmenarez, CABI’s Centre Director, Latin America-Brazil, showcased CABI’s Horizon Scanning Tool – a decision support aid that helps identify and categorize invasive alien species (IAS) – and the Invasive Species Compendium during a side event at COP16 held in Cali, Colombia.

The side event was spearheaded by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Inter Agency Liaison Group on Invasive Species under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

Other organizations participating in the side event included the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), and the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

She spoke about the Horizon Scanning Tool while participating in the side event, entitled “Supporting parties to meet Target 6 on invasive alien species: the work of the Inter-Agency Liaison Group on IAS.”

Dr Colmenarez presented the Invasive Specie Compendium which provides detailed coverage of invasive pests, plants, fungi and animal diseases to help support decision-making in invasive species management worldwide.

Furthermore, Dr Colmenarez participated in a SAN strategic meeting as well as other side events with partners and CABI Member Countries including those from Peru and Chile.

She also took the opportunity to interact with key partners such as the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN),  Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), and national partners for Colombia membership-related activities.

CABI’s work on biodiversity highlighted

This included, for example, work to help rescue and restore the native flora of Robinson Crusoe Island, controlling the invasive blackberry on the Galapagos Islands, and the prevention, early detection, control and management of IAS in Barbados and the OECS countries.

COP16 was the first Biodiversity COP since the adoption of the Global Biodiversity Framework at COP15 in December 2022 in Montreal, Canada.

During COP16, governments took the opportunity to review progress made to implement the Framework as well as the level of alignment of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) with the Plan.

At COP16, governments also negotiated the monitoring framework, advanced resource mobilization (how the implementation will be financed), and finalized the multilateral mechanism on fair and equitable Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources.

Dr Colmenarez said, “COP-16 is aligned with the Colombian National Plan on Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development. As Colombia is a member country of CABI, the event was an excellent opportunity to exchange information and highlight the work CABI has done on Biodiversity linking with other member countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

Importance of Bioproducts and access of genetic resources

She added that the registration of Bioproducts and the access of genetic resources and biological control agents in Latin America and the Caribbean are key to strategies for crop pests and disease management in the context of Sustainable Agricultural Production.

Pests that affect crops in Latin America and the Caribbean include the sugarcane borer, coffee berry borer and brown rot and witches’ broom on cocoa.

At the first Pan-American Bioinputs Forum in 2023 it was highlighted that by 2029, Latin America and the Caribbean are expected to have cornered 29% of the total biocontrol market, making it the leading region in the global market, ahead of the United States and Canada.

However, their actual use will require countries to promote science, technology and innovation; to formulate and implement regulations; to facilitate the implementation of the appropriate financial instruments and to enable market promotion and production investment.

Dr Colmenarez said, “Latin America and the Caribbean are rich in commodity crops such as coffee and cocoa as well as livestock which are farmed. But all these are sensitive to changing climate, high biodiversity and fragile environments.

“Biological control as part of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan, therefore, is very important in managing invasive alien species and incentivizing the use of more sustainable methods of control.”

The slogan of COP16, “Peace with Nature,” served as a call for reflection to improve the relationship we have with the environment, to rethink an economic model that does not prioritize the extraction, overexploitation and pollution of nature.

Additional information

Video

You can see Dr Colmenarez giving her presentation in this video from 04:43:58 to 06:17:20.

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