Global delegates gather in Yerevan for COP17 biodiversity summit

Nearly 200 countries are meeting in Armenia for the UN’s COP17 biodiversity summit to conduct the first global review of progress toward 2030 nature protection goals.

Thousands of delegates have arrived in Yerevan to address the rapid destruction of the natural world. The Guardian reported that the summit aims to push governments to meet 23 targets established during the COP15 agreement in 2022. While nearly 90% of the 196 parties have now set national targets, an assessment by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity found that fewer than half of those targets are currently on track.

Progress on the "30-by-30" goal—protecting 30% of the planet's land and seas—shows varying data. Conservation news reported that protected areas currently cover 18.4% of land and 23.2% of marine areas under national jurisdiction. However, The Guardian cited an estimate suggesting that governments are closer to the land target, having agreed to place 27.5% of terrestrial areas under protection. That report emphasized that success depends on effective conservation management rather than just creating protected areas on paper.

Financial and structural hurdles remain significant as the summit begins. EUobserver noted that while the European Union has a strong legal framework, progress is too slow on 25 of its 45 established targets. The outlet reported that turning legislation into visible improvements requires stable funding and public capacity. Globally, an aim to reform $500 billion of environmentally damaging subsidies has seen almost no action from governments, according to The Guardian.

The geopolitical environment has shifted since the original deal was reached in late 2022. The Guardian reported that while the United States is not a signatory to the convention, its conservation funding through USAID has been dramatically cut by the Trump administration. Guido Broekhoven, head of multilateral policy at the World Wide Fund for Nature, called the summit a serious opportunity for a "course correction" to get the world back on track.

Background

In late 2022, governments reached a once-in-a-decade deal known as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This agreement established a global roadmap to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 through 23 specific targets, including the restoration of degraded ecosystems and the reduction of invasive species.