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Far too often, the world’s wild plants have been relegated to the green background for more charismatic wildlife…but no more.We’re thrilled that the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation was adopted at COP16. Just returned from Cali, Colombia – our Global Advocacy Officer Claire Rumsey tells us more.
As the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) came to a close in the early hours on Sunday morning, we were thrilled to hear the news that the new Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) was officially adopted.
Far too often, the world’s wild plants have been forgotten and we’ve been calling to bring them to the forefront of global conservation efforts.
The adoption of the GSPC (and its 21 complementary plant conservation actions) in Cali, Colombia is a big step forward. It means a commitment to align plant conservation efforts with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), which is an international agreement made up of ambitious goals and targets to combat biodiversity decline. This includes updating the GSPC with specific indicators and a standardized reporting template, ensuring that progress in plant conservation is measurable and consistent with global biodiversity targets.
A Fungi Pledge was also put forward, which we were absolutely thrilled about. The pledge, lunched at a side event by the UK and Chilean Governments proposed that the CBD introduce a ‘fungal conservation pledge’ to better prioritise fungi in global conservation strategies.
This is great news for fungi. We are starting to see much more profile and attention given to the fungus kingdom and we will be seeking opportunities to work with the fungus community to build on this momentum.
In a truly historic decision, COP 16 delegates agreed to create a special advisory board for Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs).
This means that the voices and knowledge of IPLCs will be an integral part of the future of biodiversity and nature conservation decision-making.
Pre-COP there was general acknowledgement that this COP must strengthen the role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, who are “the world’s great guardians of biodiversity, luminaries of sustainable use”. And this decision, has done just that!
This COP had big shoes to fill, being the first one since the landmark KMGBF was adopted in Montreal in December 2022, hailed the Paris Agreement for Biodiversity.
There was more interest than has ever been seen in a Biodiversity COP; we were among a whopping 23,000 other registered delegates, the High-level Segment was attended by six Heads of State, more than 130 Ministers and Vice Ministers, and over 70 leaders of international organisations.
And, staying true to its title of ‘the people’s COP’, for the first time ever in a CBD COP there was a Green Zone (differing from the Blue Zone where the negotiations take place), located in the centre of Cali, constituting an open fair for biodiversity, and attracting around 40,000 people daily. This felt like the true COP, vibrant, full of energy and lots of public engagement with the stalls and activities. Check out our video here.
Our week was (as you’d expect) lots of non-stop talking about plants, fungi and biodiversity. At the conference itself, we shared a booth with Botanical Garden Conservation International (BGCI) creating a hub for discussions of all things plants (and fungi).
We were there, to quite literally wave our (pink!) flags for plants and fungi, and the Global Partnership for Plant Conservation (GPPC). It was very busy and incredibly worthwhile.
Another common thread of the COP was the implementation of a ‘whole of society’ approach to conservation, which we at Plantlife have been encouraging for years. This, for us specifically meant emphasis that it is not the sole responsibility of botanists and botanic gardens to speak up for plants (in the form of these new actions), but all different sectors – the farmers, the foresters, the businesses, IPLCs, national and global NGOs.
We had fruitful and fascinating conversations with new and old friends including New York Botanic Garden, IUCN’s Reverse the Red, Key Biodiversity Areas, the Crop Trust and the IUCN’s Global Species Action Plan. And we connected with people from Mexico, Nepal, California, Switzerland, and Ruth Davies popped in to say hello as the new UK Nature Envoy (a former Plantlife employee and still a big Plantlife fan!).
Our Director of Conservation, Nicola spoke at the GSPC side event about how these new plant conservation actions will contribute not only to the implementation of the KMGBF, but also multiple other UN frameworks and global policies. It was clear this is a moment for plants!
Now that we’re back and the GSPC has been formally adopted, we can follow-up on the numerous connections we made, continuing to strengthen and grow our global network.
We will continue to advocate for the GSPC, particularly beyond the botanical garden world, so that we widen the understanding of the value and relevance of the plant actions and push for a broader societal to apply the actions within their own programmes and activities. Our aim is to make information more accessible and useful and to help bridge the gap from the science to conservation action on the ground.
Currently, a list of threatened and range-restricted plant species is being refined in New Guinea as part of the Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPA's) project (2022-2024).
In Mozambique 57 IPA's have been identified, which is being used as focus for the Tropical Important Plant Areas team.
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