COP16 Dispatch: Week 2 How Does Science Participate in the Biodiversity Convention? The Case of Invasive Species at COP16
By Alejandra Osejo-Varona, PhD Candidate in Anthropology, Rice University.
Scientists – whether social or natural – often ask themselves how their work can influence decision-making. They also wonder how public policy and social and environmental issues impact the way we conduct research. COP16 was a special event for observing the multiple connections between scientific knowledge production and decision-making. Attending the Working Group sessions and various side events in the Blue Zone provided insights into how scientists and decision-makers collaborate to meet the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The following is a summary of insights on the role of science in managing invasive alien species (IAE) at CBD.
The CBD is an international agreement aimed at protecting biodiversity and promoting a sustainable future. It was signed in 1992 at the “Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro” and ratified by 196 nations. The governing body of the CBD is the Conference of the Parties (COP). This supreme authority of all the governments that have ratified the treaty meets every two years to assess progress, set priorities, and adopt work plans. At COP15, held in 2022, countries adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), which sets global goals to address ongoing biodiversity loss. At COP16, held in Cali, Colombia, in October 2024, the aim is to turn the 2022 KMGBF commitments into concrete action plans.
“Invasive Alien Species: Data, information, and guidance at the national level to support countries’ action towards Target 6”. Organized by IUCN at COP16, Cali. October 22, 2024.
One of the 23 targets set by COP15 concerns reducing threats from invasive species. Target number 6 includes actions like identifying and managing pathways for the introduction of invasive alien species, preventing the introduction and establishment of priority invasive alien species, and reducing introduction and establishment rates of other known or potentially invasive alien species. According to this target, by 2030, this goal should be 50% achieved. Additionally, it emphasizes eradicating and controlling invasive species in priority areas, such as islands.
Following the adoption of the KMGBF, the Parties requested the CBD Executive Secretary to develop guidance, in collaboration with the Inter-Agency Liaison Group on invasive alien species. They requested an assessment of existing capacity and needs for monitoring, preventing, and controlling the introduction and spread of invasive alien species and their harmful effects on biodiversity. In response to this request, the CBD Secretariat, in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Inter-Agency Liaison Group on invasive alien species, developed a toolkit that provides updated information aligned with Target 6.
During COP16 held in Cali, scientific and technical tools related to this toolkit were presented to develop concrete action plans on this topic at both the global and national levels. The IUCN presented the results of the advances made by its Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG). This group consists of around 250 experts who work to provide information, support decision-making, and build scientific and technical capacity to tackle the challenge of managing invasive alien species. This group has collaborated with the CBD Global IAS Information Partnership to define a unified system of categorizing introduction pathways. Also, following the IUCN Red List approach, they have worked on defining impact categories based on the magnitude of the environmental impact. They also presented the results of a study that identifies the linkages between IAS and pathogenic agents, gaps in knowledge, and the monitoring and management of emerging infectious diseases affecting biodiversity and human health related to or facilitated by IAS. Additionally, they identified measures to mitigate and minimize the negative effects of pathogens on biodiversity, prevented their introduction and spread, and identified resources that could be useful for stakeholders. They also presented a useful tool to establish the baseline regarding invasive species, called the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (GRIIS).
In the side events, the Assessment Report on Invasive Alien Species and Their Control, prepared by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), was also presented. This report was produced by an interdisciplinary team of 86 experts from 47 countries and over 200 contributing authors. These authors considered various values and knowledge systems, drawing on gray and scientific literature as well as indigenous and local knowledge. The CABI Compendium Invasive Species channel was also presented, which provides detailed coverage of invasive pests, plants, fungi, and animal diseases to help support decision-making in invasive species management worldwide.
Finally, the work of the Invasive Alien Species Task Group of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) was presented. This is an international organization funded by governments worldwide, aimed at providing anyone, anywhere, with open and free access to data on any form of life on Earth. This platform was showcased as a tool to fill critical knowledge and data gaps on IAS.
Working Group 2 on Invasive Alien Species negotiation at COP16 in Cali, October 28th, 2024.
In parallel, during the Working Group II sessions, the parties discussed the draft decision on invasive species. This draft is taken from recommendation 25/6 of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice. It is based on decisions 15/4, 15/19, and 15/27 from December 19, 2022, and recognizes the urgent need to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, particularly Target 6. The document discussed at COP16 acknowledges the IPBES Assessment Report on Invasive Alien Species. It also encourages Parties, other governments, relevant organizations, indigenous peoples, local communities, and relevant stakeholders to use the information contained in the assessment in implementing the CBD and the KMGBF. The IPBES report is also cited to guide the use of databases, analyzing the relationship between IAS and climate change, among many other aspects related to Target 6. In the annexes of this draft, tools discussed in parallel events are also mentioned, such as the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species, the Global Invasive Species Database, the Environmental Impact Classification Alien Taxa by IUCN, and the CABI biological control of invasive plants, among others. Additionally, a significant number of scientific articles are cited in the general content of the draft on invasive species.
COP16 was a crucial event to advance the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). During the two years leading up to this event, scientists from the Liaison Group, IUCN, and IPBES worked hard to present concrete tools to the parties to help them advance in meeting Target 6.
The draft prepared by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice includes the results of this work directly and clearly, as well as other scientific publications available in specialized journals. The parties’ negotiators discussed, modified, and reached agreements on this draft to advance in meeting Target 6 of the framework. Although other agenda items discussed at COP16 may have had different ways in which science relates to the decisions made, paying attention to how scientific knowledge production on invasive species relates to the decisions made by the parties within the framework of the biodiversity convention was very exciting and enlightened about the important role of researchers and scientists in the care and conservation of biodiversity.
Disclaimer: Opinions are solely those of the guest contributor and not an official ESA policy or position.