Countries are falling behind on 22 of 23 conservation targets — The Japan Times

In Yerevan, Armenia, participants in the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity — COP17 — are this week assessing progress in halting biodiversity loss. A draft UN report showed that countries are currently not moving at an adequate pace to meet 22 of the 23 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, The Japan Times reports.

First major review of the agreements

COP17 is the first large-scale review of the implementation of agreements reached in 2022. The framework calls for protecting 30% of land and marine areas by 2030. Estimates indicate that the world will likely protect about 27.5% of land by that deadline, but other tasks needed to halt biodiversity loss are significantly behind schedule.

Among the problems highlighted by scientists are pesticide use, unsustainable fishing and subsidies for activities that harm nature. Ecosystem degradation threatens food production, water security and economic stability worldwide.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Funding and harmful subsidies

According to the UN, 144 countries, including Brazil and China, have already developed action plans. At the same time, one of the central issues during the two-week talks in Yerevan will be who should pay and how much to reach the target of $30 billion in public funding. The overall goal calls for mobilizing at least $200 billion annually by 2030.

Participants will also discuss reforming $500 billion a year in subsidies for activities that harm nature. Governments are being urged to identify and redirect the most harmful incentives within two years — including those that encourage farmers to clear tropical forests, or state discounts on synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides.

A separate topic will be business participation through the Cali Fund, established in 2025. It is intended to involve in financing nature conservation companies that use digital databases of biological samples in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and commercial agriculture. Participants still need to agree on mechanisms for distributing funds among countries and Indigenous communities, as well as principles for company contributions.