Setting national targets is only the first step; developing effective NBSAPs will require buy-in from business leaders, ministries and community stakeholders. These plans must restore and protect nature while simultaneously strengthening economies and ensuring resource security.

Food and diet systems have been a focal point at COP16, covering resilient production systems, trade, dietary transitions and consumer awareness. For Green, this focus is critical: “Food systems have a central role to play in COP16 discussions focused on implementing the GBF’s Target 16 to reduce biodiversity loss driven by consumption, which contributes to habitat degradation, resource depletion and emissions.” Progress in addressing these underlying biodiversity loss drivers, often termed “mainstreaming biodiversity,” represents a major step forward.

However, as Green explains, understanding biodiversity decline is just the beginning: “Gaining confidence and clarity on what drives biodiversity declines and where it is happening is great, but the conversations around how to mitigate it continue to be difficult. That’s why this year, equitability is so much at the forefront of so many conversations.” Jonathan Green explains. Habitat degradation and loss, largely driven by global food systems, remains the leading driver of terrestrial biodiversity loss. Yet many countries effectively “offshore” the environmental impacts of their national consumption.

In response, SEI’s co-hosted a side event on 28 October highlighting strategies to integrate these responsibilities into NBSAPs. This session also discussed ways for companies to reduce biodiversity impacts transparency and accountability measures.

The food system’s role in biodiversity conservation was further emphasized by voices like David Choquehuanca Céspedes, Vice-President of Bolivia and Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, who called for development models aligned with local knowledge and democratic values. Their critiques of “Eurocentrism, capitalism and modernity” underscored the need for food networks that enhance biodiversity resilience, particularly in localized and diverse systems.

Trade Day at COP16, the first of its kind, addressed the dual role of trade in supporting development and resource-efficient food production while highlighting the hidden environmental costs of global supply chains. The sessions called for greater accountability and transparency to help countries and companies tackle these embedded costs more effectively.