UN report warns biodiversity protection targets are falling short

A new UN biodiversity report says that even if countries meet their current commitments, only 26 per cent of land and 12 per cent of the ocean would be protected by 2030 — short of the global goal of safeguarding at least 30 per cent of land, inland waters, coasts and oceans. [2]

UN Secretary-General António Guterres launched *State of Biodiversity Action* in Yerevan on 15 October, as Armenia prepared to host the COP17 biodiversity conference. The Convention on Biological Diversity says the report assesses progress on the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and will inform its global review at COP17. [Sources 1, 2, 3]

The framework, agreed in 2022, sets targets for action by 2030 and a vision of living in harmony with nature by 2050. The report says fewer than half of national targets are on track, according to UN News. [2]

There has been progress in setting plans: nearly 90 per cent of countries party to the biodiversity convention have established national targets, and more than half have drawn up plans to deliver them. But the report warns that commitments are not yet translating into sufficient action. [Sources 2, 3]

The UN News account also says progress is lagging on funding, skills, international cooperation and data, while harmful economic incentives remain a concern. The report calls for stronger implementation and coordinated action to meet the framework’s targets. [Sources 1, 2]

Guterres said the report’s evidence could help countries halt and reverse biodiversity loss. “Nature won’t thrive on good intentions,” he said at the launch, according to the UN briefing. [3]