India, Feb. 25 -- A new international fund has been created to help protect biodiversity. The 'Cali Fund' was launched on February 25, 2025, at the resumed 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Rome.

It will collect money from private companies. These companies use genetic data from nature in their businesses. This marks an important step in ensuring industries benefiting from biodiversity also contribute to its conservation.

The Cali Fund will receive money from businesses that rely on Digital Sequence Information (DSI). DSI includes genetic data from plants, animals, and microorganisms. Industries like pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agriculture, and biotechnology use DSI to d...