NATURE+’s biodiversity action showcased at COP16

The CGIAR Nature-Positive Solutions Initiative’s groundbreaking work was a big draw at the recent biodiversity conference in Colombia, COP16. From research and community engagement to apps and artworks, the Initiative underscored its relevance to global biodiversity action. But agrobiodiversity still needs greater prioritization under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Top image: One of 24 artworks by The Lexicon presented at COP16. This artwork explores agrobiodiversity in Cumbal, Colombia, one of NATURE+’s research sites. Image Credit: Douglas Gayeton, The Lexicon. Non-commercial use allowed with attribution.

CGIAR’s Nature-Positive Solutions Initiative (NATURE+) came out in force for the recent Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meeting, or COP16. Events spanned all facets of the Initiative’s five work areas and more than a dozen researchers of the Initiative. Picking a standout event would be unfair – but events on true-cost accounting in food systems, thumbs-up testimonials from many country collaborators, and launching an Initiative-specific website would be near the top of the list. 

For Carlo Fadda, the Initiative’s lead, the key COP16 message was “agrobiodiversity, agrobiodiversity, agrobiodiversity.” While the topic was featured highly by several side events, Fadda said this overlooked facet of biodiversity needs greater formal attention within the Global Biodiversity Framework. The agrobiodiversity agenda previously was driven by a CBD work program, which provided clarity on how to conserve and use agrobiodiversity. However, agrobiodiversity is now part of other CBD targets and there is a risk it does not receive adequate attention.

“An additional problem is that even when agrobiodiversity is mentioned in a target, it does not have an adequate indicator,” said Fadda, who also leads the agrobiodiversity research area at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT. “The world’s reliance on just a handful of food crops, and our unsustainable production practices greatly imperil the world’s biological diversity. Increasing diet diversity contributes to conservation, better diets and improved livelihoods for the world’s custodians of imperiled crops.” 

CBD showcases app for native-tree landscape restoration

But there was plenty of good news, too. One was the My Farm Trees (MFT) app, which COP organizers selected for a high-traffic spot at the event. Developed by the Alliance and deployed by NATURE+ (and others), the app empowers smallholders by providing access to science-based monitoring solutions for tree-planting activities. It supports the process from seed to nurseries to trees, while creating opportunities for entrepreneurship, knowledge sharing, capacity development, and providing digital economic incentives for their restoration work. MFT is a tool that helps improve the success of restoration activities, which too often fail. Piloted in Cameroon and Kenya, MFT is now expanding its implementation in South East Asia, and there is confirmed interest across Latin America. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and MFT partner, discussed its support for MFT at COP16.

“At COP, we received incredible demand from various organizations interested in establishing new MFT pilot programs in other countries or partnering with the platform,” said Fidel Chiriboga, MFT’s scaling lead from the Alliance. MFT has grown from several years of Alliance research on native tree species, forest ecology, and blockchain technology to mainstream biodiversity in production areas while improving livelihoods, creating entrepreneurship opportunities, increasing food security, and supporting climate mitigation and landscape restoration.  

Local communities increasingly heard 

While most scientific and government attention was focused on the official blue zone, which had 23,000 registered attendees, Cali and neighboring municipalities were abuzz with cultural activity and green economy events. The civil society space was particularly a beacon for discussions on seed systems and increased involvement in biodiversity conservation by Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs). 

One event, hosted by Colombia’s extended education service, or SENA, assembled some 200 members of IPLCs, including community leaders, to explore how they can increase their influence on sustainable development. Another, hosted by Cali’s Chamber of Commerce, shared countless stories from IPLCs about the importance of their agrobiodiversity, and how to better sustain it. 

“It’s encouraging to see more spaces given to IPLCs, particularly since they are typically marginalized but are key custodians of biodiversity,” said Marleni Ramirez, a NATURE+ researcher who has been critical to Initiative work in Colombia. “On the panel where I spoke, there were two IPLC leaders and local government agency leaders who were all on the same page regarding eating local and fresh. This seemed really significant to me since we were in the middle of sugarcane country.” 

Stunning artworks and new N+ website

During COP16, visitors to the Colombia campus of the Alliance were in for a spectacular art exhibit, which featured artworks from three NATURE+ target countries – Colombia, India and Kenya. The work is part of an expansive project by The Lexicon, which includes a highly interactive website for the Initiative. 

“Visitors were very impressed by the astounding artworks,” Fadda said. “This kind of work shows that science and art complement each other well. It also highlights the importance of presenting research in ways that show the people-centered nature of our research and concrete examples of impacts.”

The Lexicon’s work focuses on six key areas: air, water, soil biodiversity, equity and carbon, which are the basis of the Ecological Benefits Framework, the organization’s guiding principles. The Lexicon’s work helps people pay closer attention to what they buy, how they live, and where their responsibility begins for creating a healthier and safer planet for everyone. It offers a way to consistently present progresses towards sustainability, an important step to attract investor interest.

“To see the true power of nature-positive action, it’s important to see its impacts on the ground and to work with its foremost practitioners,” said Douglas Gayeton, co-founder of The Lexicon. “To help tell that story, our team works closely with NATURE+ across three continents.”

“Using the Ecological Benefits Framework and other tools developed by The Lexicon has helped our stakeholders, working across the globe, align on a common approach for expressing the powerful forces that are nature-positive solutions,” Fadda said.

Growing global awareness of the true costs of food

The real cost of food has largely escaped attention but COP16 showed that more and more international organizations are conducting research and working toward policy solutions. NATURE+’s Rui Benfica shared TCA research in Kenya and Vietnam, where environmental and social externalities in food production were assessed. The contrasting work shows that the social (Kenya) and environmental (Vietnam) costs are high and were previously only guessed at.

The event brought several research projects from around the globe and Benfica said it was a learning experience to advance research on this topic in developing nations worldwide. 

“The range of experiences shared was very stimulating,” Benfica said. “COP16 was definitely the right venue to present this work. I’ll head back with new insights that will benefit this tremendously important area of work.”