With certain advances in the recognition of the role of indigenous people and local communities in terms of the conservation of biological diversity, the 14th Conference of the Parties (COP 14) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity came to an end in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
Nevertheless, some environmental organizations are worried about the role of corporations in the official talks, on issues such as synthetic biology and gene drives.
While some corporate media announced yesterday that the COP 14 ended with an “ambitious roadmap” for the next two years, with a new biodiversity agreement to be presented in China in 2020 during the COP15, other voices were heard at Sharm El-Sheikh with a responsible and critical view.
This is the case, for instance, of environmental activist Nele Marien, coordinator of Friends of the Earth International´s Forests and Biodiversity Program, who was interviewed for Real World Radio by our colleague Fiona Broom.