From 25 to 27 February 2025, FAO hosted the resumed sessions of the Sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16). Delegates from more than 150 countries met in Rome to finalize negotiations on key issues related to the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) that were not resolved at the initial part of the meeting in Cali, Colombia, last year. 

In Rome, Parties to the Convention agreed on a way forward on resource mobilization, the establishment of a financial mechanism to channel funding to countries, and to monitor progress towards the achievement of the KMGBF goals and targets.  A major outcome of the resumed COP was the adoption of the full set of indicators to measure global and national progress towards the implementation of the KMGBF, agreed at COP15 in Montreal in 2022.

Attending the meeting with support from the ACP MEAs 3 programme, Afele Faiilagi, Chief Executive Officer of Samoa’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, emphasized the direct link between agriculture and biodiversity: “Agriculture is an essential sector that interacts directly with biodiversity.” He further noted that agriculture needs to optimize biodiversity and relevant services to meet the objectives of the CBD and to build food production systems that are sustainable, climate-resilient and biodiversity-friendly. 

A new global indicator 

Among the newly adopted mandatory indicators is Headline Indicator 7.2: Pesticide Environment Concentration and/or Aggregated Total Applied Toxicity (ATAT). This indicator will enable countries to assess and monitor the risks of pesticides on biodiversity as per Target 7b of the KMBGF and guide policy actions.

Recognizing the need for a ‘fit for purpose’ headline indicator with a robust methodology, the CBD Secretariat with support from FAO convened an expert group in January 2024 to develop headline indicator 7.2. The experts concluded that aggregating the existing Total Applied Toxicity (TAT) indicator, that had already been applied in multi-country studies to assess the risks of pesticides on diverse species, could be a more practical way forward. They suggested to develop a methodology for the aggregated TAT indicator, or ATAT.

Kim-Anh Templeman, ACP MEAs Programme Coordinator, explains what comes next: “The adoption of Headline Indicator 7.2: PEC and/or ATAT is a significant step forward for countries to monitor the impact of pesticides on biodiversity. Now comes the challenging task for experts to develop a methodology for this indicator that is both scientifically sound and user-friendly. FAO is willing to support this process, including by assisting countries to test the use of this indicator and facilitate national reporting to the CBD.”

Biodiversity protection in agrifood systems around the globe

Mr Faiilagi acknowledged FAO’s support to the Pacific region, stating: “Representing Samoa, I advocated for our country's position on integrating agriculture with biodiversity conservation, while also highlighting the broader Pacific region’s priorities. FAO’s support was crucial to ensuring that Samoa's agricultural priorities were effectively represented and considered in global biodiversity strategies.”
The ACP MEAs programme promotes the sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity across agricultural sectors in countries of the Pacific region and around the world. Amongst others, the programme is supporting the drafting team of Vanuatu’s  National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) to assist with the integration of agricultural-related targets in alignment with the KMGBF. The Vanuatu government expects to finalize the country’s NBSAP by the end of 2025.

FAO’s role in supporting the implementation of the CBD

Moving forward, FAO initiatives will continue to build capacity at national and regional levels to accelerate the transformation to more resilient and environmentally sustainable agrifood systems in alignment with global biodiversity goals.