OMM Newsroom
As Armenia prepares to host the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), new projections show that countries are not taking sufficient action to meet global nature conservation targets by 2030. According to AnewZ, four years remain to protect 30% of the world’s land and marine areas, but the target appears out of reach even if current commitments are fulfilled.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, speaking at the UN Biodiversity Leaders’ Summit in Yerevan on October 16, said more than one million species face the threat of extinction. According to information released by the Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, Guterres said progress was uneven and far too slow.
In a social media post, Guterres described biodiversity loss, pollution and climate change as the planet’s triple crisis. He said his children and grandchildren were counting on world leaders to support nature, and urged urgent action for future generations and all life on Earth.
COP17 will take place from October 19 to 30. The conference will provide an opportunity to assess progress toward the 23 targets set for 2030 under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022, and to accelerate implementation.
Falling short of the 30% target
The best-known target of the Kunming-Montreal framework is called “30x30.” It aims to ensure that at least 30% of the world’s land, inland waters, coastal areas and oceans are effectively conserved by 2030.
According to projections Guterres presented at the October 16 summit, even if current national commitments are fully met, 26% of terrestrial ecosystems and 12% of marine ecosystems will be protected by 2030. That leaves gaps of 4 and 18 percentage points, respectively, compared with the 30% targets. The figures are projections based on national commitments, not the shares of areas currently under protection.
Guterres said that since the biodiversity framework was adopted, an additional 1.3 million square kilometers of land and 6 million square kilometers of ocean had been placed under formal protection. About 90% of parties to the convention have also set national biodiversity targets. However, formal designation of an area as protected does not indicate whether it is being managed effectively.
Funding for biodiversity conservation
At the leaders’ summit, nine private donors, including the Bezos Earth Fund, announced they would provide more than $500 million in total over the next five years to support the recovery of threatened species in more than 100 countries. The new Species Recovery Alliance initiative supports the global biodiversity framework’s goal of preventing species extinction.
On October 16, the European Commission said its plan to increase the European Union’s international biodiversity funding from 3.5 billion euros to 7 billion euros remained in place. The EU also plans to launch an initiative exploring the potential of biodiversity credits to attract private investment.
Another financial mechanism under discussion is the Cali Fund, established in 2024. It provides for the sharing of benefits derived from the commercial use of digital genetic information. Companies using such information are encouraged to contribute to biodiversity conservation.
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said hosting COP17 would strengthen international cooperation during the country’s two-year presidency. He stressed that biodiversity conservation should remain a priority alongside economic development.
Armenian officials have highlighted the conference’s political and economic significance. International delegations are expected to gather in Yerevan for negotiations and public events.
According to the official annotated agenda of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, governments will discuss national reports, challenges encountered in implementation and ways to accelerate action. The ministerial segment of COP17 will take place on October 27-28, and negotiations will conclude on October 30.
The next global assessment under the Kunming-Montreal framework is planned for COP19 in 2030, the year the targets are due to be met.
