A Rocha Peru attends COP15

Attendees and friends of A Rocha at COP15 (Image: December 2022)

A Rocha was at the UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP15) in Montreal from 7-19 December 2022. Maria de los Angeles La Torre Cuadros represented A Rocha Peru as part of the A Rocha delegation to the conference. Maria de los Angeles is A Rocha Peru’s Board Chair and Director of Science and Conservation, and below is her reflection on attending the UN Biodiversity Conference.

“This meeting was a space to raise awareness of the situation of biological diversity, to see that the problems are a shared responsibility, to raise awareness of them … and investigate solutions among the various actors, to negotiate common actions, and to make progress in reducing the progressive loss of biodiversity.  Commitments involve the whole of society from the financial sector, and business, to governments, ngos, and civil society. Reaching agreements of financing including the extent to which rich nations support developing countries to finance biodiversity conservation.  The participation of indigenous people and local communities is especially important in decision making process relating to nature and the recognition of their land rights…I believe that commitments to reduction, for example, carbon emissions,  pesticide use, land use change or the destructive industry itself should not only imply financial support to developing countries but also a responsibility of those who also finance them.

María de los Ángeles La Torre Cuadros at COP15 conference

I believe that a recognition of these responsibilities should be explicit and also more ambitious for their own countries.  The political vision of the government of the day should not influence the agreements ….it is important not only to bring proposal but also to disseminate them in order to be visible and these four alliances that can put pressure on those who negotiate with governments.  I believe that we need to listen more to those who are guardians of biodiversity, work more on raising awareness among those who finance and the various actors. If we want to bet on green infrastructure, sustainable production also implies investment in education and technology transfer for example reducing the gaps between countries in the north and south…., it was an important experience as an academic and as an actor seeking conservation to see how important it is to make visible the wellbeing done in conservation, the need for others to know about it, that you must make visible with multiple strategies what you are doing in such a way  that it raises awareness of support of those who make decisions on the whole of government”.