CALI, Colombia — After two weeks of negotiations, delegates agreed Saturday at the United Nations biodiversity conference to create a subsidiary body that will include indigenous peoples in future decisions on nature conservation, a development which builds on a growing movement to recognize the role of descendants of certain regions’ first inhabitants in protecting land and combating climate change.

Delegates also agreed to require large companies to share in the financial benefits of research when they use natural genetic resources.

Indigenous delegations burst into joy and tears after the announcement of the historic decision to establish the subsidiary body. It recognizes and protects the traditional knowledge systems of indigenous peoples and local communities for the benefit of global and national biodiversity management, said Sushil Raj, executive director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Global Rights and Communities Program.

“It strengthens representation, coordination, inclusive decision-making and creates space for dialogue with parties to the COP,” Raj told the Associated Press, referring to the gathering’s official name, Conference of the Parties.

Negotiators struggled to find common ground on some key issues over the past week, but reached consensus after negotiations ended Friday.

The COP16 summit, held in Cali, Colombia, follows the historic 2022 agreement in Montreal, which included 23 measures aimed at saving the Earth’s plant and animal life, including protecting 30% of the planet and 30% of ecosystems degraded by 2030.

A measure to recognize the importance of the role of people of African descent in protecting nature was also adopted in Cali.

The indigenous body will be made up of two co-chairs elected by the COP: one appointed by the UN parties of the regional group and the other appointed by representatives of indigenous peoples and local communities, according to the final document, which was examined by the AP. .

At least one of the co-chairs will be selected from a developing country, taking into account gender balance, the document said.

“With this decision, the value of traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples, African descendants and local communities is recognized, and a 26-year-old historic debt to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is settled,” Susana Muhamad , representative of Colombia. Minister of the Environment and President of COP16, published on the social media platform X shortly after the announcement.

Who owns nature’s DNA was one of the most hotly negotiated topics at the summit as tensions rose between poorer and developed countries over digital sequential information on genetic resources.

However, negotiators agreed Saturday morning to force big companies to share profits when they use resources from animals, plants or microorganisms in biotechnology.

“Most of the life-saving medicines we use today come from the rainforest. It is therefore right that part of the revenue that companies generate from this information is donated to nature protection,” said Toerris Jaeger, executive director of Rainforest Foundation Norway. “This is the absolute highlight of COP16. »

Delegations agreed to a genetic information royalty amounting to 0.1 percent of companies’ revenues from products derived from this information. This money will be directed to a new fund, 50 percent of which will go to indigenous communities.

“This will allow these communities, including women and youth, to finally share in the benefits,” said Ginette Hemley, senior vice president for wildlife at the World Wide Fund for Nature.

An agreement to protect human health in the face of growing biodiversity problems on Earth was also adopted. Ecosystem degradation and loss of ecological integrity directly threaten human and animal health, environmental groups say.

Many said the conference as a whole fell short, particularly with regard to financial commitments.

The commitments made by countries over these two weeks fell well short of the billions needed to combat the decline in global biodiversity. Only $163 million in new pledges were made at COP16.

“The commitments made…were far from what they should be,” said Nicola Sorsby, a researcher at the International Institute for Environment and Development. “This represents only 0.5 percent of the target we must achieve over the next six years. »

These modest promises do not bode well for the next UN climate negotiations, COP29, which will take place in Azerbaijan at the end of the month. COP29 is expected to focus on how to generate the billions of dollars needed for the global transition to clean energy like solar, wind and geothermal. Raising this money will require major commitments from nations, businesses and philanthropies.

“Unfortunately, too many countries and UN officials came to Cali without the urgency and level of ambition needed to deliver results at COP16 and solve our species’ most pressing existential problem,” said Brian O’Donnell, director of Campaign for Nature.

At the Montreal Biodiversity Summit, rich countries pledged to raise $20 billion a year in conservation funding for developing countries by 2025, with the figure expected to rise to $30 billion a year. by 2030.

Global wildlife populations have fallen by an average of 73 percent in 50 years, according to the biennial Living Planet report from the World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society of London in October.