Reporting nature protection plans to UN: What does that entail?

BOGOTA - Nearly 200 nations face a deadline to report their nature conservation plans to the United Nations ahead of a two-week UN nature summit dubbed COP16, beginning on Oct 21 in the Colombian city of Cali.

Here is what you need to know:

WHY ARE COUNTRIES MAKING NATURE PLEDGES?

These pledges should lay out how each country plans to contribute to meeting global nature targets agreed on at the last UN biodiversity summit, COP15, held in Montreal in 2022.

The agreement, called the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, established four overall goals for 2050 and a series of 23 more urgent tasks to meet by 2030, such as setting aside 30 per cent of the earth for conservation and mobilising US$200 billion (S$262 billion) in nature financing.

WHAT EXACTLY IS A BIODIVERSITY PLEDGE?

The targets are officially called National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, or NBSAPs.

In signing the 2022 pact, countries agreed to submit national pledges and plans by the start of COP16. The plans are meant to describe country efforts towards meeting the Kunming-Montreal goals, and to help them gauge whether they are on track.

Unlike with national climate pledges that are updated every few years, there are currently no plans for countries to update their biodiversity plans beyond COP16.