The Bridges We Must Build to Save Nature

Solving the climate crisis and protecting nature are two sides of the same coin – one cannot succeed without the other. Nearly a third of global greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture and land use change, while climate change and habitat destruction are threatening a million species with extinction.

For me, solving these dual crises is deeply personal. Growing up in Colombia, I spent my childhood exploring the mountains and forests, captivated by the beauty and richness of the landscapes. But those experiences also opened my eyes to how quickly that beauty can disappear.

They nurtured a love for the natural world that inspired me to become a biologist, driven by the belief that science could help protect what I cherished. Now, as managing director and leader for nature solutions at the Bezos Earth Fund, I’ve seen that while nature is fragile, it also has a powerful capacity to recover – if we act in time to protect it.

This month, world leaders will gather in my home country of Colombia for COP16, the global summit on biodiversity, at a time when nature is under unprecedented threat. Colombia has been a leader in advancing ambitious conservation efforts for several decades, having already protected 30% of its land and seas before 2030 – although we still need to make sure this protection includes the most important places and is effective in the long term.

Hosting COP16 reinforces that leadership and provides a critical moment to align global efforts toward conserving and restoring nature and addressing climate change. The outcomes from COP16 will shape our path forward, determining whether we can safeguard nature and limit the worsening impacts of climate change.

But this is just the start. COP16 lays the foundation for systemic changes that must continue at COP30 in Brazil in next year. We must accelerate efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F) – a threshold we’ve already surpassed for the first time, signaling that time is running out before we reach critical tipping points. Linking the outcomes of these two summits offers a pivotal way in which we can get back on course.

COP16 is our chance to give nature that opportunity. It offers a rare opportunity to build bridges and forge partnerships that unite sectors, governments, and communities to address the interconnected crises of nature and climate. The direction taken at COP16 will determine whether we achieve lasting solutions or face escalating risks to biodiversity and human life.

Another critical issue at COP16 is the decision on Digital Sequence Information (DSI) – genetic data that is the code for life on Earth. This will be the century of genomics, and will drive innovation in medicine, agriculture, and conservation. The nearly 200 member states of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) need to decide how to establish a multilateral system the shares the benefits from DSI, ensuring that some of the profits from its use are reinvested in conservation.

Building a bridge between governments, the private sector, and communities is essential. If businesses and industries contribute their share of the benefits from the use of DSI, it can fuel conservation efforts in places where nature is most at risk. Without a global agreement, however, we risk losing the biodiversity that fuels these innovations.

Equally important is the need to strengthen the role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in these decisions. Article 8(j) of the CBD calls for the preservation of Indigenous knowledge – an invaluable foundation for biodiversity conservation. Ensuring that Indigenous voices are central to these decisions is not only a matter of effectiveness – it’s a matter of justice.

For example, Indigenous communities in the Amazon have successfully protected vast stretches of forest for many generations, demonstrating how local stewardship is crucial to biodiversity conservation. The communities most affected by nature loss and climate change must help shape our collective future.

Their leadership is essential to making conservation strategies both inclusive and effective. That’s why the Bezos Earth Fund is moving quickly to help them secure tenure rights over their ancestral lands. We’re also providing more direct support to Indigenous leaders and organizations, ensuring they have the resources they need to protect their territories, sustain their culture and livelihoods, and contribute to solving both the climate and nature crises.

It is estimated that the financial gap for biodiversity protection stands at a staggering $200 billion annually. Governments alone cannot fill this gap. That’s why we need emerging solutions like a "Pledge for Earth," a concept we are proposing to unite philanthropies, private sector, and governments in a shared commitment to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

A Pledge for Earth would focus on driving real, collective impact through collaboration across sectors to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity by 2030. We must accelerate funding to innovative, high-impact ideas that protect and restore nature and transform our food systems.

The Protecting Our Planet Challenge, a $5 billion philanthropic pledge we launched with 10 other foundations in 2021, has demonstrated the transformative power this type of large-scale collaboration in conservation. Now, we need to go further. A broader coalition – one that builds on ideas like a Pledge for Earth – must come together to protect what remains of nature, restore what’s been lost, and transform how we live.

COP16 is our chance to give nature an opportunity to heal and thrive once more. Leaders must bring ambitious national strategies and action plans to implement the UN Global Biodiversity Framework, agree of on system to share the benefits from the use of DSI, closing the $200 billion biodiversity funding gap, and integrating biodiversity strategies across sectors. We must create the connections – between nature, companies, governments, and local communities – that ensure success at COP30 and beyond.

What we achieve at COP16 and COP30 will either build the foundations of a sustainable future or leave us at the edge of irreversible damage. Let’s commit to building these bridges – and to making peace with nature – before it’s too late.