COP17: Biodiversity talks deliver some progress after delays, but major gaps remain

Yerevan, Armenia, 31 October – Governments have reached agreement at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP17) after negotiations ran into overtime, but the outcomes have raised fresh concerns over whether the world is moving fast enough to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030. The summit also saw Quito, Ecuador, selected to host the next UN Biodiversity Conference (COP18) in 2028.

COP17 marked the first Global Review of progress under the landmark Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, exposing major gaps between commitments and delivery, particularly on finance, subsidies and ocean protection. 

While governments reached consensus on several key biodiversity finance issues, concerns remain over the pace and scale of action needed to address the biodiversity crisis. With just four years remaining to meet global biodiversity targets, attention now turns to whether governments can translate the decisions reached in Yerevan into meaningful implementation on the ground, as the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) approaches in Türkiye. 

Brianna Fruean, climate and ocean activist from Samoa, Together for the Ocean ambassador, said: “COP17 was supposed to be a turning point for global biodiversity action. Instead, the world’s biodiversity commitments are limping forward. Funding is nowhere near what’s needed, political divisions continue to hold back progress, and communities are paying the price. 

“For Pacific Islanders, the gap between promises and action is painfully real. We are the ocean and the ocean is us. But we are forced to watch it unravel around us, with corals bleaching, marine life fading, seas rising and storms intensifying as the super El Niño takes hold. 

“The world is running out of time while political leaders argue over words and punctuation. There were glimmers of hope in Armenia, including agreement on the need to accelerate action through the Yerevan Pathway and some progress towards giving Indigenous Peoples and local communities a more meaningful role in global biodiversity decisions. But we have seen nowhere near the urgency or action needed. And failing to agree on stronger recognition of the High Seas Treaty is deeply disappointing, when the shared ocean beyond national borders covers nearly half our planet.

“The world’s attention now turns to COP31 in Türkiye, where leaders must recognise that the nature and climate crises are inseparable. We cannot afford another summit where progress falls short of the urgency we face. The science is clear, the solutions exist and the targets are agreed. It is time for governments to muster the political will to deliver them.”

Brian O’Donnell, Director, Campaign for Nature, stated: “COP17 has taken place against a difficult global backdrop, but there are reasons for cautious optimism. The growing number of national biodiversity plans shows that ambition remains strong on the road to 30×30, while the Netherlands’ new commitment to the Tropical Forest Forever Facility is a welcome sign of political leadership. But progress remains far too slow. Just 12% of the ocean is on track for protection by 2030, far short of the 30% goal, while new research shows international funding for protected and conserved areas has fallen for the second consecutive year, from more than $1.2 billion in 2023 to $1 billion in 2025.

“The real test will be what happens beyond the negotiating rooms. Governments must build on this momentum, reverse the decline in nature finance, and turn their promises into action on the ground. Rich countries spend more than 10 times as much money on chewing gum each year as they spend on advancing 30×30 in developing countries. Now is the time to invest in nature, and deliver on critical nature and climate goals for a more sustainable, resilient global future. »

Rebecca Hubbard, Director, High Seas Alliance said: “With just 1.5% of the High Seas protected, the High Seas Treaty provides the biggest opportunity to close the gap on reaching at least 30% protection of the ocean by 2030. A key message coming out of the CBD COP17 from governments, stakeholders and rightsholders is the need to accelerate ocean protection and the unprecedented opportunity the High Seas Treaty offers, not least because it does not have to be hostage to consensus. Many of these same governments will meet again at the first High Seas Treaty COP in January- an important test on their commitment to accelerate biodiversity protection coming out of the CBD COP. They must be prepared to act boldly – ensuring this first conference is the rising tide that lifts all boats – and agree to stronger, faster, more transparent and accountable action to equitably protect the ocean.” 

Pauli Merriman, Interim Senior Director of Oceans, WWF International, commented: “The message from the Global Review at COP17 is clear: we are not moving fast enough to deliver on the promise of the Global Biodiversity Framework, and the implementation gap is particularly stark in the ocean. Currently, only around 10% of the ocean is protected and conserved, and existing national commitments would take us to just 12% by 2030, far short of the 30% target. Progress in tackling unsustainable fishing – a key driver of marine biodiversity loss – is also uneven, while funding for ocean conservation remains a fraction of what is needed. 

“Coral reefs show just what is at stake. Despite their extraordinary importance for biodiversity, and the fact that nearly one billion people rely on them for food, livelihoods and coastal protection, less than 10% of warm-water reefs are fully or highly protected. With the climate crisis accelerating and ocean temperatures rising, there is no time for delay. We need to move beyond words to action that matches the scale and urgency of the challenge. 

COP17’s Yerevan Pathway must be the catalyst for accelerated action, turning promises on paper into protection in the water through effective and equitable conservation, long-term, accessible finance and stronger international cooperation. This is what it will take to deliver for people and nature at the scale and speed urgently needed.”

Catherine Weller, Global Policy Director, Fauna & Flora, on the close of COP17:“To keep countries focused on the biodiversity crisis, it was important that we got something over the line in Yerevan. After a tough two weeks of negotiations, COP17 closes with consensus on the two biggest sticking points of the conference: the Global Review and Resource Mobilisation. But while we may have success on paper, there’s much more to be done to turn what has been agreed here in Yerevan into real, positive outcomes for our planet’s precious biodiversity.  

« The conversation has moved forward on the reduction and redirection of subsidies harmful to nature, even if the final text could have been much stronger. Now, it is imperative that countries turn this promise into reality as early as possible. And we need to see ambition from all sectors and sources in mobilising funds for biodiversity protection and delivering it to the local level: whether the private sector, philanthropy or government, or through nature markets. In a world of trillionaires, we can certainly afford to spend $200 billion a year on protecting and restoring the very thing keeping us all alive: nature.

« The Global Review decision needed to respond to the irrefutable evidence that we are off track for our 2030 deadline, and while not particularly exciting or detailed, it’s good news that countries could reach agreement. We cannot just plod on to 2030 without a course correction; nature is critical to all life on Earth: to our economies, to our wellbeing. Importantly the decision emphasises the need to accelerate action towards achieving the Global Biodiversity Framework targets, and on making resources more accessible to Indigenous People and local communities. Of course, countries who wanted more ambition in the COP17 outcomes can still lead by example at home, and in other fora.   

“An ironic truth is that many delegates here at COP17 will now have a very quick turnaround before they head to Antalya for climate COP31. With two key texts agreed on the synergies between biodiversity and climate change and their respective conventions, COP17 sets a helpful benchmark for COP31 – a reminder that nature is a critical ally in both mitigating and building resilience to climate change, and that, in turn, global biodiversity targets cannot be realised if the world keeps burning fossil fuels.”