The world's biodiversity summit, COP16, known officially as the 16th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, concluded in Colombia's Cali on November 1.

Despite pending issues, the conference reached a broad consensus on accelerating the construction of nature reserves, strengthening the protection of endangered species, and promoting ecosystem restoration and sustainable development, which prompts the global community to further recognize the urgency and importance of biodiversity conservation.

The global biodiversity conservation situation remains grim. According to World Wildlife Found's 2024 Living Planet Report, the average size of monitored wildlife populations has shrunk by 73 percent since 1970. The report warns, "To maintain a living planet where people and nature thrive, we need action that meets the scale of the challenge."

Data released by the UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals in February showed that while some migratory species listed under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) are improving, nearly half (44 percent) are showing population declines, and more than one-in-five (22 percent) of CMS-listed species are threatened with extinction.

Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, said the report clearly shows that, "Unsustainable human activities are jeopardizing the future of migratory species." She called for the global community to translate this latest science advancement of the pressures facing migratory species into concrete conservation action: "We cannot afford to delay, and must work together to make the recommendations a reality."

A coalition was launched by Colombia with 20 other countries during the conference, seeking to make "peace with nature." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the opening of COP16, "Nature is life. And yet we are waging a war against it — a war in which there can be no winner." He also called on countries to implement the Kunming-Montreal Framework, which aims to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

Proposing the concept of building a shared future for all life on Earth, China has led international cooperation through the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework implementation and the Kunming Biodiversity Fund.

In January this year, China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment released the China Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (2023-2030) to outline a roadmap for biodiversity conservation in the coming years, becoming the first developing country to complete the update of its biodiversity strategy and action plan after the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal framework.

Astrid Schomaker, executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, said that during the six years that China served as the presidency of COP15, it not only vigorously promoted the conservation and sustainable development of biodiversity in its own country, but also provided important support for global cooperation through the Kunming Biodiversity Fund and other means, playing a leading role in global biodiversity conservation.

During COP16, the first batch of nine small-sum projects, supported by the Kunming Biodiversity Fund, was approved. Covering a total of 15 countries, these projects include regions in central and eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America.

The Connected Universal Experiences Labs, an international scientific and technological cooperation platform led by China and Colombia, was also launched during COP16. The laboratory has carried out several studies in digital twins, with application scenarios covering ecosystems such as coral reefs and mangroves. Luo Xun, Chinese director of the lab, believes that with the support of technologies such as artificial intelligence and digital twins, global biodiversity cooperation will usher in more opportunities.