Countries Agree on New Plan to Accelerate Biodiversity Protection by 2030

Governments have agreed on a new plan to accelerate global efforts to protect biodiversity by 2030 at the COP17 biodiversity conference in Yerevan, Armenia.

The agreement, known as the Yerevan Pathway, follows the first global review of progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The review found that the world is falling behind on almost all major nature-protection targets.

The global framework includes goals to conserve 30% of the world's land and waters, restore 30% of degraded ecosystems and mobilise $200 billion annually for biodiversity by 2030.

The new agreement calls for faster action, including reducing harmful subsidies, increasing financial support for developing countries and aligning national budgets with biodiversity objectives. Governments also agreed to work toward cutting harmful incentives by at least $500 billion annually by 2030.

Although nearly 90% of countries participating in the convention had established national biodiversity targets, fewer than half of the plans assessed were considered on track.

More than $1.8 billion in funding was announced during the conference. However, delegates and conservation groups warned that the available funding remains insufficient to meet global goals.

The agreement provides a framework for accelerating action, but its success will depend on whether governments turn their commitments into practical policies, adequate financing and measurable results.

The next biodiversity conference, COP18, is scheduled to take place in Quito, Ecuador, in 2028.