Colombia and Armenia have launched a global coalition to help endangered species recover in the wild, moving beyond efforts to prevent extinction. The Coalition of Action to Recover Endangered Species (CARES) was launched on Friday, Oct. 16, in Yerevan, Armenia’s capital, shortly before the United Nations biodiversity conference COP17, which runs from Oct. 19 to 30.
The two countries are leading the initiative because they hold the presidencies of the last two biodiversity conferences: Colombia hosted COP16 in Cali, while Armenia hosts COP17. Sixteen governments joined as founding members, including Brazil, Canada, China, Mexico, Peru and the United Kingdom. Reverse the Red, an alliance created by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, will coordinate the coalition’s secretariat.
For Colombia, the initiative reflects a central conservation challenge: preventing extinction is not enough if threatened species cannot recover in their natural habitats. CARES supports the fourth goal of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted by 196 nations in 2022, which aims to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030.
How the endangered species coalition plans to work
CARES gives governments a platform to share expertise and identify species that need additional support beyond habitat protection, with measurable progress targeted by 2030. Colombia has already highlighted domestic efforts to save the Orinoco crocodile, the blue-billed curassow, a large forest bird, and the yellow-eared parrot. All three face a high risk of extinction.
Funding could come from a new philanthropic effort. In August, the Species Recovery Alliance launched with an initial US$200 million to support 100 critically endangered species in 30 countries. The effort is backed by the Phoenix Species Project, the Bezos Earth Fund and Re, the organization co-founded by actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
DiCaprio praised the 16 countries for committing to measurable action and said his organization stands ready to help. This support matters because the problem is vast: the WWF’s Living Planet Report 2026 found that the average size of monitored wildlife populations fell 73.2% between 1970 and 2022, although half of the populations tracked are now stable or growing.
WWF says protected areas and local projects can reverse declines in individual populations, but warns that isolated efforts cannot match the scale of the pressures driving wildlife losses, including fossil fuel use, food production and finance. That broader view helps explain why CARES needs both funding and political will.
Funding challenges for Colombia’s biodiversity goals
Colombia is launching the coalition while its own progress leaves room for doubt. A preliminary global review found that 22 of the 23 Kunming-Montreal goals are off track, with only the goal related to limiting climate change’s effects on nature receiving a positive assessment.
Countries say they lack funding, technology and training, particularly in the developing world. Colombia’s figures illustrate the challenge: its national biodiversity plan requires 98.9 trillion pesos by 2030, meaning current spending would need to increase four- or fivefold to close an 82% funding gap.
The new government’s proposed 2027 budget cuts environmental investment by 50%, a move that could weaken Colombia’s credibility as a leader in species recovery. Even so, Colombia’s July report says the country has not regressed on its goals, although it acknowledges that a clear path toward the 2030 targets remains lacking.
The stakes extend beyond Colombia. Forests such as the Amazon store vast amounts of carbon, while species loss weakens ecosystems’ ability to help mitigate climate change. CARES gives Colombia an opportunity to turn its COP16 leadership into action, but the coalition will earn trust only if its members, including Colombia itself, back their commitments with funding and measurable species recoveries.