The UN meeting on biological diversity, COP16, is in full swing in Colombia. Four questions are expected to be tough nuts to crack, according to the Swedish delegation.
Genes
The development of mapping DNA in living organisms is moving rapidly forward. This information can then be used to create new products – everything from food and medicine to cosmetics. The data is now largely digital, so-called digital sequence information (DSI), so you may not even need samples from the organism itself anymore. The negotiations are about the mechanisms for those who make money from this to give back to the countries where the DNA originally comes from. For Sweden's part, they will push for the data not to be locked in, but to remain available for research and development.
The Money
Just like in climate negotiations, much of the meeting in Colombia is about money. Above all, developing countries need help to implement measures that protect nature. From 2025, $20 billion annually will be paid in, but how this will be done – and whether a new fund will be established for this purpose – are discussion topics at the meeting.
How to Measure?
At the previous meeting in Montreal, Canada, countries agreed on 23 goals to protect animals and nature. Some of them are easy to measure, such as those related to money and area, while others are more complicated. How do you measure, for example, that biological diversity is taken into account in decision-making at all levels, which is goal number 14? That type of framework is what the negotiators will try to hammer out, so that all countries measure in the same way.
Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous peoples and local communities have often been overrun in the past. When areas where they live and often have deep knowledge of are now to be protected, it is important that they are involved in the plans and have influence over the processes. The delegates will, among other things, discuss whether to establish a special group that takes into account so-called traditional knowledge.
