CAF promotes a global network of scientists to protect the biodiversity of Latin America and the Caribbean

CAF is fostering dialogue with scientific institutions to ensure the voice of science is heard ahead of COP16 and the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework. This effort aims to help promote and implement science-based solutions in its operations and in dialogue with countries.

In this context, CAF, which will host a Latin America and Caribbean Pavilion open to all countries in the region at COP16, convened over twenty international scientific institutions to raise awareness about the importance of data, science, regional collaboration, and the application of scientific methods to solve problems related to biodiversity loss and restoration. The Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Astrid Schomaker, closed the event, highlighting the importance of science. The conclusions of the meeting, along with CAF’s proposals to address the identified challenges, will be presented in Cali.

“We are engaging with scientists to identify what we can do to be more effective in preserving biodiversity. We need to understand how scientific recommendations can be translated into efficient public policies and explore new ideas and proposals that help us find solutions to the dilemmas modern societies are facing due to climate change,” said Sergio Díaz-Granados, CAF's Executive President.

CAF’s work with international scientists aims to strengthen multilateralism by connecting scientific advances and generating new lines of work being carried out in various countries to stop and reverse biodiversity loss.

“To halt biodiversity loss, it is essential to develop robust scientific knowledge and, most importantly, put it into practice. This requires creating communication channels that accelerate the implementation of science-based policies and integrate them into national development agendas and business strategies,” said Alicia Montalvo, CAF’s Manager of Climate Action and Positive Biodiversity.

In this regard, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) plays a fundamental role by fostering closer ties between the scientific community and decision-makers to build capacity and strengthen the use of science in public policy development. CAF aims to reinforce this work by bringing science closer to public and private financial institutions, promoting investment in biodiversity.

CAF’s commitment to an ecosystem and science-based approach

Latin America and the Caribbean is one of the richest regions in terrestrial and marine biodiversity. IPBES values the region's terrestrial and coastal ecosystem services at $24.3 trillion per year. The region is home to six of the world's seventeen megadiverse countries (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela) and contains between 60% and 70% of all known species, approximately 25% of tropical forests, and the most biodiverse habitat on the planet: the Amazon rainforest.

In this context, CAF has adopted an ecosystem approach in its operations, addressing not only the needs of countries for the integrated management of land, water, and living resources but also the needs of ecosystems for sustainable and equitable conservation and resource use.

Examples of this new approach include the Program for Integrated and Sustainable Management of Sargassum in the Greater Caribbean, which will benefit Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela through the promotion of sustainable sargassum management. Other examples include the coral reef restoration project in Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Costa Rica; The Americas Flyways Initiative (AFI), which aims to identify and conserve more than 30 critical landscapes along migratory routes in North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean; and projects to strengthen the management of protected natural areas in Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama.