Cop 13, the thirteenth conference of the parties on biodiversity, held in Cancún, Mexico, has concluded after two weeks of negotiations. The summit, which began on 4 December and ended on the 17th, focused on adopting policies to integrate biodiversity into human activities such as agriculture, fishing, forestry and tourism. All the conclusions have been compiled in a series of documents. It also provided an opportunity to take stock of the Aichi Targets, a set of commitments made six years ago at Cop 10.

The objectives of the Cancún declaration

The more than 190 countries participating in the conference signed the Cancún Declaration, a text that recognises the fundamental importance of biodiversity and highlights the need to protect it. The text also promotes cross-cutting actions aimed at reducing and reversing biodiversity loss through the integrated management of marine and terrestrial ecosystems and the use of sustainable practices that help restore the health of ecosystems.

The agreements reached

During Cop 13, which was attended by more than 10,000 people including government representatives, associations and members of indigenous peoples, several agreements were reached aimed at safeguarding biodiversity and ensuring its coexistence with human activities, as well as at achieving the goals set by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. During the conference, pollination and its close relationship with agriculture and food production were also discussed. To preserve pollinating animals as well, the parties decided to establish additional protected areas and identified new biologically significant marine zones to be protected.

Biodiversity and climate

Less than a year after Cop 21, the climate conference held in Paris last December, climate change was also addressed at Cop 13. The participating states committed to working towards meeting the objectives set by the Paris Agreement, reaffirming the need to reduce emissions, and recognised the central role of biodiversity in mitigating climate change.

The importance of indigenous peoples recognised

The importance of indigenous peoples in the conservation of the territories they inhabit is by now well established: these people possess a vast knowledge of and profound respect for the ecosystems on which they depend. WWF has calculated that 80 per cent of the world's richest ecoregions are inhabited by indigenous communities. Cop 13 "certified" this fundamental contribution through Article 8(j) of the convention, which obliges the parties to "respect, preserve and maintain the knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities" that support the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

Biosafety and GMOs

Cop 13 was an opportunity to address important and complex issues, such as the assessment of risks arising from genetically modified organisms and synthetic biology. "The global community has understood the importance for achieving the sustainable development goals of the Cartagena Protocol on biosafety and the Nagoya Protocol on access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits," declared Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (Cbd). The protocols help ensure that modern biotechnologies do not harm biodiversity.

Mexico creates new reserves

The host country, Mexico, chosen for its extraordinary biological diversity and its large number of protected areas, took the opportunity to announce the establishment of four new protected reserves covering a total of 91 million hectares. Three of the new reserves, the announcement of which was made by the country's president Enrique Peña Nieto, will protect marine ecosystems in the Pacific and the Caribbean, increasing the protection of the marine environment by 23 per cent — more than doubling the 10 per cent target set for 2020. The other reserve will instead protect 309,000 hectares of forests and mountains in the Sierra de Tamaulipas, a territory that provides shelter for Mexico's large felines such as the jaguar, puma, jaguarundi and ocelot.

Five new safeguard zones were also created, in which the exploration and extraction of hydrocarbons will be prohibited. "We must protect and conserve biodiversity because it contributes to the survival and development of the community" – said Peña Nieto. – "Thirty-two million tourists visit Mexico every year to enjoy its natural beauty. This must be preserved so that it continues to attract visitors in the future. Our challenge is to protect the environment and achieve social inclusion. We must see the conservation of biodiversity as a development strategy."