Ahead of the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Turkey’s Antalya next month, negotiators are gathering in Armenia’s Yerevan for the UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s COP17 from October 19 to 30. Countries will take stock of their collective progress in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), a landmark agreement adopted in 2022 to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, at COP17 for the first time.
Nearly 200 countries agreed to the framework with 23 targets for 2030, including protecting at least 30% of the world’s land, inland waters and seas, restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems and mobilising at least $200 billion a year for biodiversity from all sources. They pledged $30 billion annually in international public finance, and shifting at least $500 billion a year in subsidies that harm nature.
The framework called for biodiversity to be integrated into decision-making and for the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources to be shared more equitably.
COP17 comes at a critical halfway point. Where countries stand against their commitments, where implementation is falling short, and what needs to change in the four years remaining until 2030 will be reviewed at COP17. The review will be based primarily on national reports, biodiversity strategies and other evidence submitted by countries.
Early assessments have not been particularly reassuring. The UN’s first global assessment of progress, released just ahead of the Yerevan meeting, found that nearly 90% of countries have established national biodiversity targets but fewer than half of the targets assessed are on track. The report has called for faster implementation and greater ambition.
The economic and human consequences are equally significant. The decline of ecosystems is often linked to food insecurity, water stress, extreme heat and wildfires, while degradation of forests and other ecosystems can alter rainfall patterns.
What will countries be looking at COP17?
One of the biggest areas of focus will be whether governments can translate the 2030 targets into actual action. The global review is expected to identify implementation gaps and provide the basis for decisions on how countries can get back on track.
Finance will be another major issue. Countries have committed to mobilising $200 billion annually for biodiversity, including $30 billion in international public finance. They have pledged to shift $500 billion in subsidies that are harmful to nature. COP17 will have to consider not just how much money is spent on biodiversity, but whether governments are continuing to finance activities that undermine it.
The Cali Fund, established at COP16 in Colombia to share benefits from the commercial use of digital sequence information on genetic resources, will also be on the agenda. Another issue will be the role and rights of indigenous Peoples and local communities, whose knowledge and stewardship are central to biodiversity conservation.
Aimee Roberson, executive director at Indigenous-led nonprofit organisation Cultural Survival, said Indigenous Peoples’ ability to protect ecosystems is closely tied to their rights over their territories and their ability to maintain their traditional ways of life.
“The cosmovisions, lifeways, and cultures of Indigenous Peoples emerge from our relationships to Mother Earth and include a deep sense of responsibility to care for the ecosystems we all depend on. However, our ability to steward ecosystems and biodiversity depends on maintaining our ancestral and self-determined lifeways, ceremonies, and economies, and relies on uninterrupted access to our lands, waters, and territories. Clearly, upholding the rights of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination and governance of our territories is critical to a future of mutual flourishing for the diversity of life on Mother Earth,” she said.
Why does this matter for COP31?
The timing is significant. COP17 ends on October 30. Days later, COP31 will begin in Antalya on November 9. Climate change and biodiversity loss are closely connected. Experts say forests, wetlands, mangroves, oceans and other ecosystems protect against climate impacts. Climate change is accelerating biodiversity loss, meaning action on climate without consideration of nature can undermine climate goals.
The UNFCCC’s COP31 agenda reflects this overlap, with one of its six global climate action axes specifically focused on “Stewarding Forests, Oceans, and Biodiversity”.
Brian O’Donnell, director of Campaign for Nature, said the first global review shows that the world is not on track to meet the biodiversity targets agreed in Montreal. “In light of these findings, COP17 must serve as a turning point. First and foremost, we encourage parties to focus on ensuring delivery of the centrepiece of the global biodiversity agreement -- the target to protect and conserve at least 30% of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030 (30x30),” said O’Donnell.
He added that, with renewed leadership and commitment, delivering 30x30 is viable, and achieving it will not only address the leading driver of biodiversity loss, but will advance other priorities related to sustainable development, food supply, national and global security, climate change, and pandemic prevention. “It is critical that a focus on 30x30 and nature finance at COP17 carries into COP31,” said O’Donnell. He added there has been better synergy between the two COPs since COP26 in Glasgow.
“That must continue at COP17 and COP31 with a more concrete focus on how to dramatically increase funding for the protection of nature, both for curbing biodiversity loss and mitigating and adapting to climate change.”
For India and other developing countries, both COP17 and COP31 remain crucial for assessing progress and securing climate and biodiversity finance.