What is COP15?

Biodiversity is essential for human life. Without significant changes, 1 million species are set to become extinct.

Around 75% of all crop species require pollination by animals – often by bees, but sometimes butterflies, flies, birds or even bats.

Biodiversity underpins the food we eat and the air we breathe. It protects us from other threats like pollution and flooding.

The loss of species and habitat poses as much danger to life on Earth as climate change, and the two issues are inextricably linked.

As one of the biggest threats to humanity, there has never been a more important time to take action on biodiversity loss.

The United Nations Biodiversity Conference, COP15, will begin on 7 December 2022 in Montreal, Canada.

What is COP15?

COP stands for Conference of the Parties. The number simply stands for the number of times the parties have met.

COP27, the conference on climate change, has just finished in Egypt. COP27 focused on ramping up ambition to limit global warming to below 2 degrees, and mitigating climate change. But there were some wins for nature, which is essential in reaching net zero and will provide the solutions to many challenges we will face as the climate changes.

COP15 will now focus on strategies to halt biodiversity loss, and will involve setting targets to restore nature too.

Who will attend COP15?

COP15 will be attended by representatives of 196 governments (the ‘parties’) as well as stakeholders from business, finance, scientists, academics, indigenous peoples, local communities and youth representatives.

Follow all the latest COP15 updates and nature news in our COP15 News Hub!