Lessons from COP-16: Reflections for a future in harmony with nature

By: Fabiola Peña

GeoPark Environmental Manager

The end of the year is a chance to reflect on sustainability challenges in the global agenda. COP-16, held this year in Colombia, was a key opportunity to rethink our relationship with nature and address the climate and biodiversity crisis. As we start a new year, some reflections to share with you are the following:

1. Biodiversity and the climate are inseparable: Fighting against climate change and protecting biodiversity are complementary and interdependent objectives. However, it is crucial to recognize the scale of the problem and the particularities of each region and their specific needs. In Colombia, a megadiverse country that is highly vulnerable to climate change, nature-based solutions (NBS) are a great alternative to address climate adaptation, and in turn, protect and conserve natural wealth.
2. We need a comprehensive approach to nature: COP-16 invited us to consider a holistic approach to nature. Valuing ecosystems and their connection to communities requires promoting conservation, restoration, and social well-being as a whole.
3. The relevance of local knowledge: Local knowledge represents a great opportunity to design strategies that are both effective and inclusive. Restoration and conservation actions must also consider social needs and priorities, ensuring that people’s well-being is a transversal consideration in these initiatives.
4. Companies as partners of change: For the first time, companies were recognized as key partners in addressing biodiversity loss. The approach is opportunity-based rather than blame-driven, and opens an important door for the private sector to contribute proactively and measurably.
5. Biodiversity and the energy transition: The transition to a decarbonized economy must not compromise biodiversity. The two priorities must go hand in hand, making it critical that the dependencies and impacts that renewable and non-conventional energy have on biodiversity can be recognized and characterized in order to manage them appropriately.
6. Colombia as a global benchmark: Despite COP-16 negotiations not advancing at the pace that the biodiversity crisis demands, Colombia stood out as one of the few countries to present its National Biodiversity Strategy (NBSAP). Biodiversity was central in all conversations, and as Manuel Rodriguez commented, this COP was “the largest environmental education campaign in the history of the country.” This legacy must endure.

COP-16 taught GeoPark and other companies about the opportunity to make partnerships, learning from biodiversity experiences in the region and the world, and the satisfaction of knowing that GeoPark is on the right track in our vision of nature, responsibly managing water and biodiversity, as well as their impact on the communities where we operate. However, COP-16 also reminds us that the work to be done is immense and pressing.

At year-end, I want to reaffirm our commitment to sustainability, confident that what we learned at COP-16 will be a guide to continue creating and sharing prosperity with a focus on nature and collective well-being.