DNA Codes A Big Win At COP16

Mary and Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for DEFRA, in Cali, Colombia

The UK was back on the global stage in Cali, for the Conference of Parties, the United Nations’ decision making group for action on climate change, where Mary helped the UK to drive progress on nature recovery both at home and across the world.  

The UK had a huge win on Digital Sequence Information (DSI), whereby genetic information that has been sequenced from the natural world can be made available online. These DNA codes can then be used by scientists for important research in medicine, agriculture, conservation and public health. Businesses now have the option of voluntarily contributing to a new fund – known as the Cali Fund – if they use this genetic information from nature. 

A New Finance Trends dashboards was launched to increase transparency in nature finance, as well as a new framework to support a high-integrity biodiversity credits market.

COP16 significantly also agreed the establishment of a new permanent body for Indigenous Peoples and local communities to empower them and increase their input into formal decision-making. As well as supporting further conservation, the Cali Fund will also see a significant proportion of the finance flowing back to these local groups.

The role of fungi was also elevated as the UK and Chile collaborated on a pledge to give fungi the same protection as plants and animals, noting their vital role in addressing the environmental crisis.