Press release: COP16 - Countries agree to mobilize money for nature

Rome/Oslo 27.02.2025

The resumed negotiations on the Convention on Biological Diversity in Rome agreed today to mobilize more funds for nature protection. With current funding falling short of targets agreed on two years ago, this agreement agrees to enhance finance from both public and private sources.

The agreement comes as several countries, including the US and UK, reduce their international support for nature protection. This is in stark contrast to previous commitments to increase public funding for nature protection.

“This is a difficult time for everyone who cares for life on this planet, but giving up is not an option. Today’s agreement shows that most countries are committed to joining forces to protect life on earth, but we need to be creative about how to mobilize the funds that are needed,” said Anders Haug Larsen, International Advocacy Director at Rainforest Foundation Norway.

“As we see reduced commitments to financing the protection of tropical rainforests and Indigenous peoples and local community forest management, there is no doubt an ambitious outcome on financing was needed at COP16. The decisions adopted today leave much to be desired, but will provide the basis for new efforts to fund the protection of nature if acted upon immediately”, he continued.

With difficulties in increasing nature finance in public budgets, COP16 points governments to mobilize support in other ways. The Cali Fund was launched this week, seeking to attract support from pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies that rely on genetic information from nature, but as the negotiations close, the fund is still empty. COP16 also urges governments to reform subsidies that harm nature and consider debt swaps for nature.

“The money is there. Governments are using billions in support of activities that destroy nature. Now, it’s time to fund activities that actively protect and restore the precious nature we have on this planet,” Haug Larsen said.