Global Nations Gather in Armenia to Review Halfway Progress on 2030 Nature Goals

Negotiators from around the world are meeting in Yerevan, Armenia, from October 19 to 30 for the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity's COP17. Countries are checking their collective progress on the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, a major agreement adopted in 2022 to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

Goals and Money

Nearly 200 countries agreed to 23 targets for the year 2030. These include protecting at least 30% of the world's land, inland waters, and seas, restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems, and raising at least $200 billion a year for biodiversity from all sources. Governments also pledged $30 billion each year in international public finance and promised to shift at least $500 billion a year away from subsidies that harm nature. Other goals include sharing the benefits of genetic resources and integrating biodiversity into decision-making.

Early Results

Early assessments show that nearly 90% of countries have set national biodiversity targets, but fewer than half of those targets are currently on track. The UN's first global assessment calls for faster action and greater ambition. Aimee Roberson, executive director at the nonprofit Cultural Survival, stated that Indigenous Peoples' ability to protect ecosystems depends directly on their rights over ancestral territories and traditional ways of life. Brian O'Donnell, director of Campaign for Nature, urged that COP17 must serve as a turning point to ensure countries meet the target of protecting 30% of the planet by 2030.

Context

COP17 takes place just weeks before the 31st UN Climate Change Conference, known as COP31, which begins in Antalya, Turkey, on November 9. Experts note that climate change and biodiversity loss are closely linked, as healthy ecosystems help protect against climate impacts while climate change speeds up the loss of nature.