In November, world leaders gathered for COP16 in Cali, Colombia—the Convention on Biological Diversity’s 16th Conference of the Parties—turning attention to an urgent global crisis: biodiversity loss. Dubbed ‘the most important event you’ve never heard of,’ the summit tackled the critical need to protect the planet’s ecosystems.

Over the past 50 years, wildlife populations have plunged by nearly 70%, and 10% of wilderness has been lost in the last 20 years. The result is catastrophic loss—not just for plants and animals, but for humans, too. Biodiversity underpins vital medical breakthroughs, climate resilience and economic stability—over half the world’s GDP depends on nature.

As the CEO of the Catalina Island Conservancy, I attended a prelude to COP16, the World Biodiversity Summit in New York City while being mindful of the negotiations taking place in Colombia. Though islands like Catalina only comprise five percent of the Earth’s land area, they account for around 40% of endangered species and 80% of all extinctions over the last five centuries. To save Catalina, and all the world’s wilderness, it is clear to me that we must work faster, smarter, and most importantly, work together.

Acting Faster

In 2022, the world came together to adopt the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework which aims to conserve 30 percent of global habitats by 2030 (30×30). While 190 countries have ratified the framework, progress has been slow. Only 17% of land and 8% of water are currently protected. COP16 represented a critical opportunity to accelerate these efforts, yet only 25 of 195 attending countries had submitted mandatory plans for safeguarding their natural resources before the conference.

Despite mixed results, COP16 delivered some critical progress. In arguably COP16’s biggest accomplishment, delegates created a biodiversity fund financed by corporations using digital sequencing data from the planet’s flora and fauna. Half of the fund’s revenue will go to Indigenous communities, the guardians of many habitats across the globe. However, the $1 billion annual target is far below the $200 billion needed each year to protect Earth’s wilderness. This underscores that global summits, while essential, cannot solve all the challenges to biodiversity.

Thinking Smarter

Scientists at COP16 shared that biodiversity is actually falling faster on protected lands. This calls for better conservation strategies, not just broader ones. On Catalina Island, we’re embracing this approach by working to become a world-class research hub for island conservation. Our experts are pioneering innovative restoration methods across 42,000 acres, including cloning the mountain-mahogany, the rarest tree in the United States.

Working Together

At the turn of the century, some of the iconic American species, including alligators and bison, faced extinction. The federal government worked to protect wildlife and land, establishing refuges for the first time. State and local governments did their part, setting aside millions of acres for hundreds of state parks nationwide.

Philanthropists also stepped up. The Rockefeller family helped expand multiple national parks, from Grand Teton to Acadia to the Great Smoky Mountains. Several protected areas were created from private land donations, including the Catalina Island Conservancy, which was founded by the Wrigley family.

Today, as the world works to meet its 30×30 target, collaboration remains critical. In the United States alone, 41 million acres have been protected in the past three years, alongside $1 trillion in environmental funding. Foundations have pledged record-breaking contributions, banks are backing debt-for-nature swaps, and ballot initiatives like California’s Proposition 4, recently approved by voters, promise billions in climate action.

I know this strategy can succeed because it has already saved one of Catalina’s keystone species. In the mid-2000s, our island fox became critically endangered. My predecessors at the Conservancy enlisted the support of donors, the expertise of scientists, the help of community members, and together, they successfully reversed the Catalina Island fox’s decline. Now, we need to do the same for the other 4,000 species worldwide that remain critically endangered.

Working smarter, faster and together, we can save the world’s wilderness.

Whitney Latorre is the President and CEO of the Catalina Island Conservancy.