(Seychelles News Agency) - A delegation from Seychelles will participate in the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity from October 21 to November 1, 2024, an event marking a crucial moment for global environmental policy.

As part of the delegation, there will be a senior project coordinator from the Biodiversity Conservation and Management Division, Indira Gamatis. She told SNA that preparation has already begun for the past several months with Seychelles weighing in on several points.

These are the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) that provides the Conference of the Parties (COP) and its other subsidiary bodies with timely advice relating to the implementation of the Convention.

She said Seychelles will focus on several agendas namely invasive alien species, nature-based solutions, conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal biodiversity specifically island biodiversity as well as priority actions for coral reefs.

“An agenda item that is very important to us, is the Biodiversity and Climate Change agenda item. To look much more at the synergies between biodiversity and climate change, which is very important for us in Seychelles considering our small island and of course all of the impacts climate change has on Seychelles and biodiversity. Similarly, it is also looking at how biodiversity can also aid in combatting the effects of climate change,” she added.

In a recent virtual press conference, the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia and COP16 President-designate, Susana Muhamad, highlighted the conference's ambitious goals, including elevating the profile of biodiversity within the climate crisis and materialising the principle of whole-of-government and whole-of-society mobilisation.

According to Astrid Schomaker, executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, a record-breaking 14,000 delegates are expected to attend.

The conference will focus on key themes including peace with nature and the synergies between climate change and biodiversity loss.

One of the most anticipated outcomes is the potential operationalisation of the multilateral mechanism for sharing benefits from digital sequencing information (DSI) on genetic resources. This complex issue involves how industries and companies that use DSI, often from resources in the Global South, can fairly compensate for its use.

Resource mobilisation is another important topic that will be covered at the conference. The main topic of discussion will be how to get more funding for biodiversity protection and how to access it; new funding methods may be developed as well.

The private sector's role in biodiversity conservation will be a key focus, with dedicated forums and discussions on how businesses can implement the Kunming-Montreal Agreement framework. Japanese companies, in particular, are expected to bring innovative approaches to the table.