The biggest biodiversity conference in a decade, the UN Biodiversity Conference, or COP15, is happening in Montreal, Canada from 7-19 December 2022. Government representatives will focus on agreeing on a new, 10-year Global Biodiversity Framework which urges rapid, cross-sectoral action to address and halt biodiversity loss.

Experts from Future Earth who have contributed to actionable solutions aimed at supporting negotiations will be at the conference. Find details below on Future Earth’s activities at COP15.

Click here to learn more about Future Earth’s biodiversity work in support of the framework negotiation and implementation.

Click here for the main schedule for COP15.

Future Earth will also have an exhibition booth at COP15, so make sure to stop by:

Follow along on social media and use the hashtags #COP15 and #FutureEarthAtCOP15

6 December Events:

Biodiversity Science Workshop

9:00-17:15 EST, Palais des Congrès de Montréal, Saskatchewan – 210A
Stream it here

An IPBES, Future Earth and GEOBON event. Onsite participation, livestream TBA
Speakers from Future Earth and GEO-BON will present at 12:45pm EST

The Secretariats of IPBES, GEO-BON and the Convention on Biological Diversity are organising a one-day biodiversity science workshop to engage Parties and observers in an interactive dialogue on science and monitoring for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. The workshop is being held on 6 December 2022 at the venue of the UN Biodiversity Conference, (Palais des Congrès de Montréal). Participation in the workshop is open to all registered delegates to the fifth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group and the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties and concurrent meetings of the Parties to the Cartagena and Nagoya Protocols. No additional pre-registration is required. The workshop will be conducted in English.

Find more details and a tentative agenda of the workshop here.

Speakers:

• David Obura, Earth Commissioner and Director, Coastal Oceans Research and Development (CORDIO) East Africa
• Paul Leadley, bioDISCOVERY, Professor at Paris-Sacley University

7 December Events:

A Global Biodiversity Observation System to support the implementation and monitoring of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework by Parties

16:15-17:45 EST in room 513D

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) will take part in GEO BON’s side event

This side-event will present a vision and scheme for building a Global Biodiversity Observation System (GBiOS), by interlinking existing and new observation and monitoring networks with the aim of assisting all Parties in their efforts to track progress to the global biodiversity framework. Assembly of GBiOS will be facilitated by access to tools for designing monitoring networks that support conservation action.

Nature Positive Action: The Power of Collaboration

A Global Commons Alliance event. Onsite participation and online
16:30–18:30 EST, in the Large Room at the Nature Pavilion, livestream on NaturePositive.org

You are invited to join this onsite interactive session on the diverse approaches to create an equitable, net-zero and nature-positive future. The session will engage in a series of small group conversations, and breakouts, setting the collaborative tone for Nature Positive contributions to a successful COP15.

Read more here.

Speakers:

• David Obura, Earth Commissioner and Director, Coastal Oceans Research and Development (CORDIO) East Africa
• Manuel Pulgar Vidal, CEO and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility
• Basil Van Havre, Co-Chair CBD Open Ended Working Group negotiating Global Biodiversity Framework
• Maëlle Pelisson, Advocacy Director, Business for Nature London
• Patrick Frick, Global Commons Alliance

8 December Events:

30×30 target in the Hindu Kush Himalayas

16:15-16:45 EST in the Nature Positive Pavilion or via livestream

The event will discuss the success, challenges and prospects of 30 x30 for biodiversity and people in the Hindu Kush Himalaya. The speakers will present about the prospects and success/barriers for 30×30 and strengthen partnerships for effective implementation of 30×30.

Speakers:

• Sunita Chaudhary, Ecosystem Services Specialist at International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)
• Meghnath Kafle, Joint-secretary at Ministry of Forests and Environment, Government of Nepal
• Norbu Wangdi, Project Coordinator at Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN), Bhutan
• Qiao Jianfang, Deputy Director, Resources Management at Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, CAS

9 December Events:

Science Basis for a Nature and People Positive World

An Earth Commission event. Onsite participation and online

16:30–17:30 EST, in the Large Room at the Nature Pavilion, livestream on NaturePositive.org

Despite decades of conservation efforts, biodiversity decline continues. Why? The Earth Commission is defining a new framework to underpin science-based targets for nature. This event will outline the Commissions’ forthcoming research and explain how safe and just Earth system boundaries can turn the tide on biodiversity decline and simultaneously elevate justice outcomes for people. The importance of Nature and People Positive narratives will be highlighted, including six pathways for delivering the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. Panelists will also present critical science syntheses from GEOBON and Future Earth.

Read more here.

Speakers:

• David Obura, Earth Commissioner and Director, Coastal Oceans Research and Development (CORDIO) East Africa
• Diana Liverman, Earth Commissioner and Regents Professor Emerita at the University of Arizona, School of Geography, Development, and Environment.
• Varsha Vijay, Technical Director, SBTN
• Paul Leadley, bioDISCOVERY, and Professor at Paris-Saclay University

11 December Events:

Transformative actions on all drivers of biodiversity loss urgently required to achieve the global goals by 2050

A Science for Biodiversity event. Onsite participation, livestream TBA

11:45-13:15 EST, Location TBA

This session will build on recent contributions from the scientific community to support a more robust understanding of people as part of nature. It will discuss the transformative potential of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and identify key areas where integrated action is needed to implement the framework effectively and achieve wider sustainable development.

Read more here.

Speakers:

• David Obura, Earth Commissioner, bioDISCOVERY, and Director, Coastal Oceans Research and Development (CORDIO) East Africa. Presentation: “From conservation to addressing the drivers of decline of biodiversity”
• Peter Bridgewater, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra
• Paul Leadley, bioDISCOVERY and Paris-Saclay University
• Eva Zabey, Executive Director Business for Nature

12 December Events:

Opportunities for nature positive future – session for early-career scholars and students

A Science for Biodiversity event. Room 516 and find a livestream here

15:30 – 17:00 EST

In this session, young researchers, along with undergraduate and graduate students, will engage in a discussion about rediscovering the value of biodiversity. We will present transdisciplinary approaches to foster locally initiated nature-based solutions for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with examples of sustainability living labs and local projects. This session aims to inspire the next generation’s search for innovative solutions towards nature positive future.

Speakers:

• Marcin Jarzebski, Future Earth Japan and The United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) & Tokyo College, The University of Tokyo
• Koji Miwa, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Japan
• Hyejin Kim, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), IPBES Scenarios and Models Taskforce
• Shunsaku Komatsuzaki, Global Leadership Program (GLP-GEfIL), The University of Tokyo, Japan

13 December Events:

Business investing for biodiversity and climate objectives to support the Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement

13:30-15:30 EST, Canada Pavilion Event Space

A variety of financial experts will explore the potential for private finance to invest in protecting intact nature for biodiversity and climate objectives in support of an ambitious GBF.

Speakers:

• Eliane Ubalijoro, Director, Future Earth Canada Hub & Executive Director, Sustainability in the Digital Age

Science-based targets for nature: enabling corporate action

A Science Based Targets Network event. Onsite participation and online

14:00-15:30 EST, in the Large Room at the Nature Pavilion, livestream on NaturePositive.org

Leading companies will share their insights as they prepare to set science-based targets for nature; a critical lever to taking corporate action in support of the Global Biodiversity Framework.

Science-based targets (SBTs) for nature will be a critical lever for companies to take action in support of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. During this multi-format session, leading companies preparing to set SBTs for nature will provide their perspective on the business case for action as well as practical insights into target setting and how to take action today. Read more here.

Speakers:

• David Obura, Earth Commissioner and Director, Coastal Oceans Research and Development (CORDIO) East Africa
• More speakers TBA

14 December Events:

Montréal: Hub of international action on biodiversity

13:15 – 14:45 EST, Room 516B. More information

This event aims to highlight the workof international organizations based in Montréal in biodiversity protection and sustainable development more generally. This will be an opportunity to showcase not only the innovative projects of IOs, but also how they are anchored and collaborate with the local Montréal ecosystem in sustainable development. The event will follow a roundtable structure and will include concrete examples of projects from Montréal-based international organizations. It will showcase how complementary these initiatives are and how they contribute to a whole-of-society and holistic approach to biodiversity.

Speakers:

• Éliane Ubalijoro, Director, Future Earth Canada Hub and Executive Director, Sustainability in the Digital Age
• Stéphane Paquet, President and CEO, Montréal International
• Bertrand Derome, World Design Organization
• More speakers TBC

Celebrating International Year of Mountains – ensuring mountain biodiversity protection within the post-2020 GBF implementation

18:15 EST, Room 510C

This high-level mountain side event highlights the efforts undertaken to elevate mountain biodiversity and the need for its protection within the post-2020 outcome and implementation and gives insights into supporting science-policy processes and products. The side event further provides a platform for dialogue and exchange of views among high-level representatives from countries working towards the protection of mountain biodiversity. Consequently, preliminary ideas for the roadmap of how mountain biodiversity will be addressed in the implementation of post-2020 will be collected. As a best-practice example, the renewed trilateral Memorandum of Cooperation between the CBD, the Carpathian and Alpine Conventions, will be presented as well as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, including key flagships. More information.

Speakers:

• Jonas Geschke, on behalf of Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA)