Convention on Biological Diversity 

• • The Convention on Biological Diversity is a multilateral treaty adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
  • The Convention is legally binding; countries that join it (‘Parties’) are obliged to implement its provisions. The convention called upon all nations to take appropriate measures for conservation of biodiversity and sustainable utilization of its benefits.
  • The Convention has been ratified by 196 parties, making it one of the most widely supported treaties in the world. 
  • India is a party to CBD and enacted the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, to meet the obligations under Convention on Biological Diversity.
  • The CBD Secretariat is based in Montreal, Canada and it operates under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). 

• The UNEP is the leading environmental authority in the United Nations system. It was founded as a result of the UN Conference on the Human Environment (also known as the Stockholm Conference) in 1972.

• The Parties (Countries) under CBD meet at regular intervals and these meetings are called Conference of Parties (COP). 

Objectives

• The CBD entered into force in 1993. It has 3 main objectives:

1. The conservation of biological diversity
2. The sustainable use of the components of biological diversity
3. The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.

Protocols to CBD

Cartagena Protocol 

• The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international agreement which aims to ensure the safe handling, transport and use of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology that may have adverse effects on biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health. 
• It entered into force in 2003.  

Nagoya Protocol 

• The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international agreement which aims at sharing the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way. 
• It entered into force in 2014. 

Reports published

• The Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO) Report is the flagship publication of the CBD and summarises progress made towards achieving the objectives of the Convention, such as the Aichi Targets and identifies key actions to achieve these.

Why in News?

• • The 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 16) is taking place in Cali, Colombia, from October 21 to November 1, 2024. 
  • This conference is significant as it marks the first major meeting since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) at COP 15 in December 2022. 

• GBF aims to guide biodiversity policy through four overarching goals to be achieved by 2050 and a set of 23 targets to be reached by 2030, to achieve a vision of living in harmony with nature by 2050.

• The most significant part of the framework is a commitment to protect 30% of land and water considered important for biodiversity by 2030, known as the 30×30 target. Currently, 17% of terrestrial and 10% of marine areas are protected.

The theme for COP 16 is “Peace With Nature,” and it aims to address global biodiversity challenges, including habitat loss and species extinction