Nov 21, 2024

SeaTrees at COP 16: Reflections from the global biodiversity conference

There it stood, amid the hustle and bustle of the UN delegates, the humming of bugs and calls of birds, the heavy humidity, and the glinting evening light. An illuminated tower of large wooden terrariums, each containing a unique ecosystem, stacked to resemble an enormous game of Jenga. It felt as if it would topple over if you stepped too close or if the wind blew a little too hard. But there it stood. A monument to the beauty, diversity, and fragility of our biosphere.

It was my first night in Cali, Colombia, and I was staring up at the Biodiversity Blocks tower, which artist Ben Von Wong constructed in collaboration with local artists and school children with support from SeaTrees. This monument to biodiversity stood prominently in the center of the “Blue Zone”, the official site of the 16^th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, or COP 16.

It was a milestone moment for me. I’ve been studying marine biodiversity for my entire career, and I was excited to be surrounded by other biodiversity nerds, enthusiasts, and activists who had converged from across the world to move the needle on biodiversity conservation. Now as the lead scientist at SeaTrees, I was excited to attend COP 16 to speak on behalf of our community partners working to restore and protect marine ecosystems around the world.

One of our main goals at COP 16 was to launch SeaTrees Biodiversity Blocks, an innovate approach to attract new sources of funding to support community-led marine restoration. SeaTrees Biodiversity Blocks fund marine stewardship actions, such as planting a mangrove tree, outplanting a coral, or protecting a square meter of kelp forest. By funding community stewardship, long-term scientific monitoring, and transparent outcome reporting, SeaTrees Biodiversity Blocks represent a new and improved form of conservation philanthropy. COP 16 presented an exciting opportunity to raise awareness around Biodiversity Blocks and inspire action.

Situated next to Cali in Colombia’s Valle del Cauca, the conference venue hummed like a city of its own. Thousands of international participants hustled between a series of outdoor pavilions to attend panel discussions, presentations, and official negotiations on topics ranging from sustainable finance to indigenous rights. I was fortunate enough to present on three panels in the Blue Zone, one of which was focused on metrics for measuring biodiversity, and two others which were focused on coral reef restoration and conservation.

The conference permeated the city as well, with biodiversity-themed events around nearly every corner surrounding the publicly-accessible “Green Zone” of COP 16 in the center of Cali. We attended a separate conference hosted by Trellis called Bloom 24, which brought together business and corporate leaders to discuss market-based mechanisms for scaling up conservation, and spoke about SeaTrees’ marine restoration efforts at an event hosted by our partners at Regen Network.

Outside of conference activities, I enjoyed exploring the restaurants, neighborhoods, street art, and night life in Cali. We met activists and influencers who were passionately championing conservation efforts in their local communities. I also met up with former colleagues and students from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and we spent one day trekking through the tropical rainforest near Colombia’s Pacific coast. The brief respite from the busy conference to see Colombia’s incredible biodiversity first hand was truly the highlight of the trip.

While negotiators made progress on indigenous inclusion and compensation for genetic resources, COP 16 largely failed to deliver breakthroughs on key issues. It is not for lack of trying: it’s not easy to translate passion for biodiversity into international consensus, binding legal agreements, and forward progress. Nonetheless, the current system is failing to achieve action at the speed we need to address the crisis of biodiversity loss, habitat degradation, and climate change.

We must act to restore biodiversity and protect the stability of the biosphere. In this way, the Jenga tower at COP 16 serves as a perfect metaphor for collective action. We need to work together to put blocks back into the tower to stabilize and protect global biodiversity. Marine stewardship actions, taken by coastal communities, are the building blocks of successful conservation.

Whether you live by the ocean or not, you can help to put blocks back into the tower by supporting SeaTrees and the efforts of local communities. By purchasing SeaTrees Biodiversity Blocks, you support community-led, science-based, transparent, and innovative projects that are making a real difference on the ground. We hope you’ll join us in taking action to safeguard biodiversity.