From October 21 to November 1, 2024, Wise Ancestors had the honor and privilege of participating in the Sixteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) in Cali, Colombia. This vital biennial gathering organized by the United Nations is where national governments, NGOs, scientists, corporations, and Indigenous and Local Community leaders review progress on implementation of global biodiversity agreements from prior meetings, and generate new plans that will shape policies and solutions for the future of our planet’s ecosystems. This years’ theme was “Peace With Nature”, a movement initiated in Colombia calling on nations and citizens to change our relationship with nature and take action for the planet.
The event was segmented into two zones: a “Blue Zone,” which hosted the high-level sessions (official negotiations) as well as hundreds of “side-events” and exhibition booths; and a “Green Zone,” which was open to the public and designed to facilitate knowledge exchange and inspire citizen participation in biodiversity conservation. The vibrant Green Zone, which took place in a large urban park and surrounding streets, was alive with educational exhibits, local artisan crafts, and cultural performances.
Wise Ancestors, accredited as an observer organization, was represented by five team members – Executive Director Ann Pace, Administrative Specialist Wendy Bussière, Scientific Director Solenne Correard; and Scientific Advisors Rachel Meyer and Dr. Federica Di Palma.
Ahead of COP16, Pace participated in the “Biodiversity Capacity-Building and Development Forum”, a pre-event for “representatives of Parties, Indigenous peoples and local communities, women and youth, non-governmental organizations, private sector, academia and other relevant stakeholders” according to the website, for sharing experiences, good practices and lessons learned globally in capacity-building for biodiversity. After COP16, many of the Wise Ancestors team joined collaborators in the Antioquia department of Colombia to visit the habitats that are the focus of five pilot Conservation Challenges in Colombia, and to engage with local community members. To learn more about the site visit, check out our Antioquia blogpost.
At COP16 we focused on showcasing our unique model, our new platform, and our series of pilot Conservation Challenges, which were enabled by a grant from the Future Life Institute (FLI). Our primary goal was to demonstrate how genomics coupled with Indigenous and Local Community leadership and local conservation initiatives can accelerate the achievement of global biodiversity goals. Much of our time was focused on engagement with the large Indigenous and Local Community presence.
“I felt honored to be at COP16. Talking with people from all over the world gave me hope for our future.” Wendy Bussière, Administrative Specialist
Our Booth in the Blue Zone
To maximize visibility, facilitate outreach, highlight our model, and introduce our pilot Conservation Challenges, we hosted an exhibit booth in the Blue Zone for the entire two weeks of the conference. This strategy was energy-intensive but wildly successful as it attracted a steady stream of visitors and allowed us to engage with well over 150 individuals representing almost as many organizations, a mix of national party representatives, Indigenous organizations, institutional and academic researchers, NGOs, and for profit corporations coming from all parts of the world. We aimed to emphasize the equal importance of genomics, Indigenous science, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and equitable benefit-sharing in conservation while recruiting new collaborators to join our platform.
Visitors were intrigued by our model and impressed to learn that for each Conservation Challenge, we not only support genomic approaches to biodiversity conservation but also a local conservation initiative. Many visitors were curious about how genome sequences can aid conservation, which inspired us to begin developing multilingual educational materials on the role of genomics in biodiversity protection.
Our booth allowed us to succeed in our two key objectives of introducing our model to diverse stakeholders, and fostering relationships with Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities, and the broader biodiversity community.
“COP16 was an ideal venue for introducing Wise Ancestors to the global biodiversity conservation community. We are proud to be a delegate organization of this highly impactful conference, and extremely grateful to the diverse people and organizations that came to our booth, especially Indigenous and Local community members, who provided invaluable feedback and helped us understand how we can work together in co-designing Conservation Challenges that braid genomic approaches with Traditional Knowledge, science and practices.” Ann Pace, Executive Director
Learning from talks and panels at COP16
With multiple fascinating talks and panel discussions happening simultaneously, we often wished we could be in two places at once, as many sessions were highly relevant to our work. We prioritized events that highlighted Indigenous and Local Community voices, as well as DSI (digital sequence information). The events we attended spanned numerous topics, such as human rights, biodiversity monitoring, financial policy, monetary and non-monetary benefit-sharing, and the intersection of AI with Ancestral Knowledge, and we later shared our insights with each other. We're deeply grateful to all the speakers for their valuable contributions.
Wise Ancestors Platform Presentation at La Casa Humboldt
Wise Ancestors was featured alongside other global conservation leaders at a parallel event just outside of the Green Zone entitled, “Biogenoma Colombia” at La Casa Humboldt, which was hosted by our collaborators from Humboldt Institute. Alongside Gustavo A. Bravo, Curator of Ornithological Collections at the Humboldt Institute and other speakers (see flyer below), Wise Ancestors Scientific Director Solenne Correard presented our model, our Colombian Conservation Challenges, and how we fit into the effort of sequencing all of life for biodiversity conservation. A full house was in attendance, underscoring global interest in equitable conservation strategies. Panel discussions emphasized the importance of benefit-sharing and creating pathways for inclusive collaborations.
Negotiations and Agreements at COP16
The official negotiations at COP16 were an intense 10-day effort of the Parties (the nations who signed on to the CBD) aimed at advancing international agreements to protect biodiversity. Members of the Wise Ancestors team attended contact group sessions, focusing on the multilateral mechanism for the sharing of benefits from the use of digital sequence information (DSI) on genetic resources.
Although the conference was suspended on November 2 before completing its full agenda, significant progress was achieved, especially in recognizing the vital contributions of Traditional Knowledge to the success of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Along those lines, a positive outcome was the approval of a Program of Work related to Article 8(j) of the Global Biodiversity Framework, which sets out specific tasks to ensure the meaningful contribution of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities. Another positive result was the approval of a new Subsidiary Body to be led by the Indigenous Caucus which is expected to elevate participation of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in all convention processes. Please refer to the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB) press release, which explains in more detail the decisions and their impact on Indigenous Peoples.
The UN Biodiversity Conference will reconvene from 25-27 February, 2025 in Rome, Italy, at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to address the remaining agenda items. For more details on the outcomes and next steps, visit the official COP website.
"Attending COP16 was eye-opening—unlike any scientific conference, it immersed me in the art of negotiation, the power of carefully chosen words, and the importance of using science to drive action on the ground." Solenne Correard, Scientific Director.
Building Relationships and Looking Ahead
Our journey at COP16 was incredible. It served as a catalyst for many meaningful connections, enabling us to meet current collaborators in person for the first time, as well as many potential new collaborators. Our list of new contacts includes leaders and representatives of Indigenous organizations, national parks, wildlife management organizations, youth groups, conservation NGOs, financial, legal and commercial entities and services, and academic research labs.
We’re energized by the interest Wise Ancestors received at this event and the momentum it has given us. We are now more than ever committed to amplifying the voices of Indigenous and Local Communities while advancing genomic species conservation through global collaborations that are equitable and impactful.
Stay tuned for updates on our Conservation Challenges, new partnerships, and resources on our website. Together, we can address the extinction crisis with biotechnology, Indigenous science, Traditional Ecological Knowledge and unprecedented collaboration.
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