Nearly 200 countries are gathering in Yerevan, Armenia, for a critical United Nations biodiversity conference, with governments under pressure to accelerate efforts to halt nature loss as major conservation targets remain off track ahead of the 2030 deadline.
The 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, known as COP17, opens on Monday, October 19, and runs until October 30. The meeting marks the first global review of collective progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022 to guide international action against biodiversity loss.
The framework established 23 targets for 2030, including protecting at least 30 per cent of the world’s land and oceans, restoring degraded ecosystems, reducing pollution, addressing invasive species and reforming subsidies that damage the environment.
However, progress has been uneven, with governments struggling to translate international commitments into practical action.
A United Nations assessment released ahead of the summit found that fewer than half of the national biodiversity targets assessed were on track. The findings have intensified calls for governments to strengthen implementation, improve monitoring and close significant funding gaps.
The summit is expected to focus on how countries can move beyond pledges towards measurable results during the four years remaining before the 2030 deadline.
Speaking ahead of the formal negotiations, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan acknowledged that the international community was not progressing at the pace required to achieve its collective commitments.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has also urged governments to increase the speed and scale of their response, warning that continued destruction of nature threatens ecosystems and the conditions on which human societies depend.
A major concern is the commitment to protect 30 per cent of the world’s land and sea by 2030, often referred to as the “30 by 30” target. Although protected areas have expanded, the overall pace of conservation and progress on other biodiversity goals remain insufficient.
A Reuters report published on Monday said the world could reach an estimated 27.5 per cent land protection by 2030, but many other objectives remain well behind schedule. Progress on marine protection, sustainable resource use and the removal of environmentally harmful incentives is also a concern.
Financing is expected to be one of the most contentious issues at COP17. The global biodiversity framework calls for mobilising at least $200 billion annually from all sources for biodiversity by 2030, including at least $30 billion a year in international biodiversity finance.
Developing countries have repeatedly highlighted the need for predictable financial support to protect ecosystems while addressing poverty, infrastructure needs and other development priorities.
Wealthier nations, meanwhile, have pushed for major emerging economies, including China, to contribute more towards international biodiversity financing. The debate reflects wider disagreements over how the costs of protecting nature should be shared among countries with different economic capacities and historical responsibilities.
Attention is also turning to private-sector funding, including efforts to encourage companies that benefit from genetic resources and biodiversity to contribute to conservation initiatives. However, the Cali Fund, established to help direct benefits from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources towards conservation, has attracted far less funding than initially hoped.
Another major issue is the reform of subsidies that encourage environmentally damaging activities. Governments have committed to identifying and redirecting incentives harmful to biodiversity, with a global target to reduce such incentives by at least $500 billion annually by 2030.
These incentives include support linked to activities that contribute to habitat destruction, overexploitation of natural resources and pollution. Reforming them could free up resources for conservation, but governments face political and economic challenges in changing established support systems for industries and communities.
The conference is also expected to examine national biodiversity strategies, implementation plans and the quality of data used to measure progress. Countries will need to demonstrate not only that they have established targets, but also that policies and funding are producing tangible improvements in the condition of ecosystems and the survival of species.
The stakes extend beyond wildlife protection. Healthy ecosystems support food production, provide clean water, help regulate the climate and underpin economic activities ranging from agriculture and fisheries to tourism and forestry. Continued degradation can therefore threaten livelihoods, food security and long-term economic resilience.
For developing countries, the challenge is to secure the resources needed to conserve forests, wetlands, rivers, coastal environments and other ecosystems without placing an unfair burden on communities that depend on them.
The conference comes amid competing global priorities, including geopolitical tensions, economic pressures and concerns over energy security. These pressures have raised questions about whether governments will devote sufficient political attention and financial resources to biodiversity protection.
Organisers and conservation advocates have stressed that COP17 should deliver a clear pathway for accelerating implementation rather than produce another round of declarations without adequate follow-through.
The outcome will help determine whether countries can close the gap between their commitments and the action required to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.
With the deadline approaching, the central challenge for governments is no longer simply agreeing on what must be done, but demonstrating that the necessary policies, funding and cooperation are being put in place to achieve it.