COP16 — Which projects are charting the path for global biodiversity protection?

Two years ago, in December 2022 in Montreal, COP15 marked a pivotal moment for biodiversity conservation. A global framework was adopted, establishing ambitious targets to protect our planet’s ecosystems, with the goal of safeguarding nearly a third of Earth by 2030. This framework emphasized the importance of involving all stakeholders across sectors to ensure its success and make meaningful progress in biodiversity protection.

This year, we’ve witnessed diverse initiatives that push the envelope in both innovation and impact. In this blog, we’ll explore some of the projects we’re most excited about — each offering a crucial approach to informing action, preserving and sustaining biodiversity for generations to come.

Part I — Protecting the Earth: What and where.

Protecting our ecosystems begins with understanding what needs protection and where to drive global action most effectively. Yet, fundamental knowledge of many ecosystems remains limited, which is why Vizzuality is proud to collaborate on initiatives such as the Half-Earth Project and the SkyTruth 30x30 Tracker. These projects aim to close information gaps, support conservation planning, and drive impactful decision-making.

1. Half Earth: Safeguarding half of Earth’s biodiversity.

Inspired by the late E.O. Wilson’s vision, the Half-Earth Project works to protect half of the Earth’s land and water to preserve its rich biodiversity. At the core of this project is a visually compelling, data-rich map that offers insights into biodiversity metrics — such as species richness, rarity, and protection indices — anywhere on the planet, down to a 1km resolution.

Vizzuality collaborated with the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, Map of Life, and Esri to design and develop the Half-Earth Map. Guided by human-centered design and rigorous data, this tool helps policymakers and the public alike make informed decisions about the areas needing protection most urgently.

2. SkyTruth 30x30: Tracking the race to 30%.

The 30x30 Progress Tracker, developed by Vizzuality for SkyTruth in partnership with the Bloomberg Ocean Initiative, democratizes environmental advocacy by offering an interactive platform where anyone — policymakers, conservationists, or concerned citizens can monitor the progress of global 30x30 commitments. This target seeks to protect 30% of the world’s lands and oceans by 2030.

Our team designed a platform integrating satellite imagery, conservation databases, and scientific research. The 30x30 Tracker includes three main tools:

• The Progress Tracker, which shows current protection status worldwide and launched an important update at COP16 that now includes terrestrial and inland waters protected areas.
• The Conservation Builder, which allows users to explore potential areas for future protections.
• A Knowledge Hub, providing critical resources for biodiversity advocacy.

Part II — Global efforts for local impact(s).

As much as global collaboration is needed to protect our one and only home, it is crucial to act on a granular level with local communities’ needs in mind. Inspired by both cutting edge-science and indigenous knowledge, the following projects highlight how climate action not only is possible but needs to happen on different scales, using global sets of data to inform, support and defend local livelihoods.

1. HeCo-Invest: Connecting investors & conservation efforts in the Amazon.

HeCo-Invest simplifies the process of linking investors with impactful conservation projects in the Amazon, offering a platform that provides investors a solid foundation for due diligence. In collaboration with partners like the Inter-American Development Bank, Google Cloud, and the Basque Centre for Climate Change, Vizzuality helped bring HeCo-Invest to life, integrating advanced technology to connect meaningful projects with funding.

By aligning with national conservation goals, HeCo-Invest supports governments in achieving their conservation targets, ensuring these commitments lead to tangible, effective actions. The platform ultimately empowers investors to drive impact in the Amazon while supporting local communities and ecosystems.

2. Amazonia360+: Mapping the Amazon like never before.

Amazonia360+, unveiled during COP16 by the Inter-American Development, is a platform expected to provide critical geospatial and territorial data to support conservation and sustainable efforts in the Amazon. Designed for non-expert users, Amazonia360+ equips government officials, NGOs, and local communities with tools to monitor environmental changes and implement strategic actions.

With its intuitive design and extensive data layers, Amazonia360+ will facilitate cooperation and decision-making across the Amazon, promoting effective conservation, ecological health and community resilience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfOjz4SiP1w

3. Marxan: Strategic planning for biodiversity.

Marxan is a globally recognized decision-support tool used in over 180 countries to support conservation planning across land, freshwater, and marine environments. It enables decision-makers to balance biodiversity protection with socioeconomic, cultural, and political considerations, fostering conservation plans that are both actionable and sustainable.

Our team played a critical role in advancing the Marxan Planning Platform (MaPP) by making it accessible online, integrating interactive maps, and building workflows that allow decision-makers to weigh complex trade-offs. Our collaborations with The Nature Conservancy, Microsoft, the European Commission, and the Marxan Community of Practice helped create a cloud-based platform that equips users worldwide to develop data-driven plans that benefit nature, climate, and communities.

Part III — Open Data for global collaboration.

At COP16, we also saw increasing emphasis on open data initiatives, which are essential for achieving collaborative, data-driven biodiversity protection.

The Open Nature Initiative, for example, provides a blueprint for accelerating the production of open and operational biodiversity data to measure and reduce impacts on nature. By working collaboratively to make quality-assured biodiversity data accessible and usable for all, such open data initiatives lay the groundwork for a truly inclusive conservation effort.

COP16 highlighted how far we’ve come since the ambitious goals set at COP15, but it also underscored the scale of the work still needed. At Vizzuality, we are grateful to contribute to these projects and work with incredible partners to bring these visions to life.

For more insightful projects working towards protecting nature, check out our website!

For example: Explore the Natural Capital Primer, a science communication site that provides a clear, engaging, and practical introduction to natural capital, empowering individuals and businesses to make informed decisions about nature’s role in their lives and operations.