By Michael Esgro, Senior Biodiversity Program Manager & Tribal Liaison 

Last month, California joined leaders from across the world in Cali, Colombia for the United Nations Biodiversity Summit (known as the 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, or COP 16). Coming two years after 196 countries reached a global deal to protect nature – the landmark Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework – this Conference of Parties or COP was focused on action, providing a critical opportunity for the world’s governments to advance progress toward the Framework’s targets as we face the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.  

Unfortunately, the odds are stacked against us. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that the world is not on track to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement and that we need to adopt “radical realism” – in other words, humanity needs to begin preparing for a future in which the planet may warm by more than 2 degrees Celsius. While that may not sound like much, the impacts of that level of warming on many of the world’s coastal and marine ecosystems, such as coral reefs, will be nothing short of catastrophic. 

And despite the ambition of the Global Biodiversity Framework, we aren’t moving quickly enough to achieve its targets. For example, Target 3 of the Framework commits the world to conserving 30% of lands and oceans by 2030. But currently only about 8% of the global ocean is protected, with less than 3% in fully or highly protected marine reserves, and a recent study shows we would need to designate nearly 100 new marine protected areas per day to reach 30% by 2030. 

Against that backdrop, and awaiting the outcome of a historic national election back at home, I had the opportunity to travel to Cali with an impressive group of leaders from the Newsom Administration: Wade Crowfoot, Secretary for Natural Resources, Jenn Eckerle, Deputy Secretary for Oceans and Coastal Policy and Executive Director of the Ocean Protection Council, Meghan Hertel, Deputy Secretary for Biodiversity and Habitat, and Madeline Drake, Assistant Secretary for Biodiversity and Habitat. Although we could not directly participate in negotiations to advance the Global Biodiversity Framework – the United States is one of only two countries who have not ratified the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity – our attendance at COP provided an opportunity to showcase California’s leadership on biodiversity and climate, strengthen international partnerships, and learn from others. (Check out Secretary Crowfoot’s recent blog post for a helpful explainer on the Convention and COP process, as well as important takeaways from our time in Cali.) 

At COP, the OPC team highlighted our state’s world-leading efforts to safeguard coastal and marine biodiversity. We were particularly proud to celebrate the successes of our globally significant marine protected area (MPA) network, which covers 16% of state waters and has demonstrated clear benefits for marine habitats and species. As Deputy Secretary Eckerle noted during a panel discussion on marine protection, California’s MPA network has become a model for how marine biodiversity can be effectively conserved through science-based management and collaborative partnerships. And reflecting the global significance of our MPAs, California was celebrated at COP for nearing the culmination of an ongoing, multi-year effort to add the network to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas – a coveted distinction that honors the most effective protected areas worldwide. But MPAs are not a silver bullet for ocean conservation, and we also shared OPC’s world-leading progress on initiatives to restore imperiled habitats, eliminate whale and sea turtle entanglement in fishing gear, and reduce plastic pollution, all of which are aligned with the Global Biodiversity Framework’s targets.  

At the same time, COP 16 was humbling in that it reminded us just how much further and faster we need to move. We still have half a million acres of coastal waters to conserve in California by 2030, and the MPA adaptive management process, kickstarted last year by the first-ever ten-year management review of the MPA network, provides an important opportunity to strengthen our MPA network to ensure it continues to provide strong protections in the face of climate change. The loss of more than 95% of the kelp forest off our state’s northern coastline means that we must adopt bold, no-regrets strategies to restore kelp ecosystems and halt further losses. And we have much ground to gain in our state’s efforts to deepen partnerships with California Native American tribes, although initiatives like the Tribal Marine Stewards Network – an alliance of five coastal tribes working collaboratively to protect and restore coastal and marine ecosystems in their ancestral territories – are paving the way for a future in which tribally-led stewardship is centered in ocean conservation. 

So, despite the scope and scale of the challenges we face, I’m coming back from Cali feeling fired up. While formal negotiations proceeded slowly, and the ultimate outcomes of the Summit were mixed, I will not soon forget the energy and urgency of “the people’s COP.” Perhaps nothing exemplified this feeling more than COP 16’s Green Zone. Typically, a COP’s Green Zone, or public area, is located in the same conference hall that is hosting formal negotiations. At COP 16, la Zona Verde was located several miles from the negotiation site, in a lush and vibrant public square right in the middle of downtown Cali. As our team wandered through this area along the Cali River, admiring art installations and interpretive exhibits while salsa music blasted from local storefronts, it was impossible not to feel inspired by this truly global effort to save our planet. The world is watching California, and there’s no time to waste. Let’s dive in to the work ahead. 

CNRA team meets with Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Presenting on California’s leadership of the High Ambition Coalition Subnational Government Task Force alongside Assistant Secretary Drake.

Deputy Secretary Eckerle discussing California’s MPA network as part of a panel focused on marine protections.

With Deputy Secretary Hertel and Secretary Crowfoot in front of COP-themed street art in downtown Cali.

With Assistant Secretary for Biodiversity and Habitat Madeline Drake, Deputy Secretary for Biodiversity and Habitat Meghan Hertel, and Deputy Secretary for Oceans and Coastal Policy Jenn Eckerle in front of “Biodiversity Jenga” – an art installation at COP that dramatically illustrated the interconnectedness of all life on Earth.

Art installation in the Green Zone representing the 23 targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework.

Entrance
to the Green Zone in downtown Cali.