The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), adopted in December 2022 during the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), is a milestone agreement aimed at halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030. It aims to catalyse, enable, and galvanise urgent and transformative action by Governments, and subnational and local authorities, with the involvement of all of society, to achieve the outcomes it sets out in its Vision, Mission, Goals and Targets. The GBF provides a crucial roadmap for safeguarding the planet’s biodiversity, including protecting 30 per cent of the Ocean by 2030, often referred to as 30×30. Whilst not explicitly mentioned in its 23 Targets, the GBF remains relevant to coral reef ecosystems with 16 out of 23 targets proposed to be highly relevant (Table 1). The urgency for action has never been more pressing, making the upcoming Sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16) a pivotal moment for coral reef ecosystems. The oceans transcend borders, and the challenges we face demand a collective response – all nations—both coral reef and non-coral reef states – must unite #ForCoral.
This document outlines the key asks for coral reefs at the occasion of the Sixteenth Conference of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16), Cali, Colombia, 2024, as well as the relevance of the GBF to coral reefs.