In October 2024, four EU-funded research projects - CO-OP4CBD, BioAgora, RESPIN, Biodiversa+ - brought the discussion on the science-policy interface to the world’s largest biodiversity summit, COP16 Colombia. The two side events they co-organised at the summit’s EU Pavilion provided a valuable opportunity to explore the effects of science-based governance on global biodiversity conditions and targets. More information on the sessions’ content and their publicly available recordings can be found here.
The quartet’s presence at COP16 was placed in the spotlight by the European Commission’s Research Executive Agency (REA) in a dedicated article on the EU-affiliated initiatives aiming to bridge the gap between science and policy in the domain of biodiversity. The piece categorises all these projects in three separate thematic groups:
-
“nature-based solutions for socio-environmental issues that lead to nature-positive economy”: Here, the NetworkNature initiative is highlighted for its pursuit of a nature-positive economy through transformative change in society and nature alike.
-
“science-policy symbiosis for a better world”: This category places the aforementioned collaboration between CO-OP4CBD, BioAgora, RESPIN and Biodiversa+ front and centre.
-
“implementing insurance solutions for resilient and sustainable cities”: In this context, the authors single out the NATURANCE project and its efforts to usher in new policy standards for nature-based solutions in urban regions.
-
“engaged communities for sustainable urban ecosystems”: This is the topic at the core of INTERLACE, a research undertaking focused on how community-driven collaboration across continental frontiers can improve city-based ecosystems.
-
“boosting economy through nature restoration”: Last but not least, the article discusses GoNaturePositive! as a project championing the economic benefits and opportunities offered by land and marine ecosystem restoration.
You can access the full overview by REA here. To find out more about how we left our mark in Colombia, you can visit our dedicated COP16 page.