Yerevan | Kathmandu, October 18, 2026 - As governments prepare to gather in Yerevan for the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), growing concerns over slow progress in protecting the world’s biodiversity are putting international environmental commitments under renewed scrutiny.
A United Nations assessment warns that fewer than half of the national targets established by countries to protect biodiversity are on track to meet their intended goals, highlighting a widening gap between global commitments and action on the ground. The warning comes at a critical point in the global effort to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has repeatedly urged governments to end humanity’s destructive relationship with the natural world, warning that the global community remains engaged in a “war on nature.” His message underscores the urgency of addressing habitat destruction, pollution, climate change, overexploitation of natural resources and other pressures threatening ecosystems and wildlife.
Global Biodiversity Framework Faces an Implementation Challenge
In December 2022, nearly 200 countries adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), a landmark international agreement designed to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and place nature on a path to recovery by 2050.
The framework establishes 23 targets for 2030. One of its most prominent commitments is the “30x30” target, which calls for the effective conservation and management of at least 30% of the world’s terrestrial, inland-water, coastal and marine areas by the end of the decade.
Other commitments include restoring degraded ecosystems, reducing pollution, addressing invasive alien species, promoting sustainable production and consumption, and reforming financial incentives that encourage environmental destruction.
However, translating these commitments into measurable results remains a major challenge. Insufficient financing, harmful subsidies, weak implementation capacity and geopolitical tensions continue to undermine progress.
$700 Billion Annual Financing Gap
Financing remains one of the most significant barriers to achieving global biodiversity goals. Conservation International has highlighted an annual biodiversity financing gap of at least US$700 billion, reflecting the difference between the resources needed to protect and restore nature and the funding currently available.
Under Target 19 of the Global Biodiversity Framework, countries have committed to mobilizing at least US$200 billion annually from all sources for biodiversity by 2030. The target includes increasing international biodiversity-related financial flows to developing countries and mobilizing additional domestic and private-sector resources.
Meeting these commitments will require stronger public investment, more effective international cooperation, innovative financing mechanisms and greater accountability for how funds are allocated and spent.
For developing countries, including Nepal, predictable and accessible financial support is particularly important. Biodiversity-rich countries often face substantial costs in conserving forests, wetlands, rivers, grasslands and mountain ecosystems while addressing poverty, climate risks and competing development priorities.
Harmful Subsidies Continue to Undermine Nature Protection
Another major challenge is the continued provision of financial incentives that contribute to biodiversity loss. Subsidies and other incentives associated with environmentally damaging agricultural practices, deforestation, overfishing and unsustainable resource extraction can encourage activities that undermine conservation objectives.
The Global Biodiversity Framework calls for identifying and eliminating, phasing out or reforming incentives harmful to biodiversity in a proportionate, just, fair, effective and equitable way, while substantially and progressively reducing them by at least US$500 billion per year by 2030, starting with the most harmful incentives.
Progress on this commitment is essential to ensure that public spending supports, rather than contradicts, national and international environmental goals.
National Plans Need Stronger Implementation
Countries are also facing difficulties in translating global biodiversity commitments into effective national policies and programmes.
National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) are central to this process. They are intended to align national priorities, policies, budgets and conservation programmes with the Global Biodiversity Framework.
However, developing an ambitious strategy is only the first step. Governments must also establish measurable indicators, strengthen biodiversity monitoring systems, collect reliable data and ensure that conservation commitments are reflected in land-use planning, infrastructure development, agriculture, forestry and other sectors.
Without these systems, it becomes difficult to determine whether conservation measures are delivering meaningful improvements or whether governments are meeting their stated targets.
Geopolitical Tensions Complicate Global Cooperation
International instability and geopolitical rivalries are adding further pressure to multilateral environmental cooperation. Biodiversity loss crosses national borders, making coordinated action essential for protecting migratory species, shared river systems, forests, oceans and other interconnected ecosystems.
Disagreements over finance, responsibility, technology transfer and the distribution of benefits from genetic resources can also complicate negotiations.
For the Global Biodiversity Framework to succeed, countries must move beyond political declarations and work towards practical cooperation, transparent reporting and sustained implementation.
COP17: A Critical Global Review of Biodiversity Action
COP17, taking place from 19 to 30 October 2026 in Yerevan under the theme “Taking Action for Nature,” will mark the first global review of collective progress towards implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Countries will assess achievements, identify implementation gaps and negotiate a way to accelerate action towards the 2030 targets.
The summit is expected to place particular emphasis on mobilizing biodiversity finance, strengthening national implementation, reforming harmful incentives and improving international cooperation. Discussions will also address the Cali Fund, which is intended to support the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources.
The central challenge is not simply to secure new commitments, but to ensure that existing promises translate into measurable improvements for ecosystems and communities. Conservationists and environmental organizations are urging governments to establish clearer implementation pathways, strengthen accountability and ensure that financial resources reach the places and people most in need.
Why the Biodiversity Agenda Matters for Nepal
For Nepal, the outcome of COP17 carries particular significance. The country is home to diverse mountain ecosystems, forests, wetlands, grasslands and freshwater habitats that support threatened wildlife, sustain livelihoods and provide essential ecosystem services.
However, these natural assets face mounting pressures from habitat fragmentation, infrastructure development, pollution, unsustainable resource use and climate change. Mountain ecosystems are especially vulnerable to changing temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns and the growing risks associated with glacial and other climate-related hazards.
Achieving Nepal’s biodiversity objectives will require stronger coordination among federal, provincial and local governments, adequate financing for conservation, meaningful participation by Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and better integration of biodiversity considerations into development planning.
Community forestry, protected areas, ecosystem restoration and locally led conservation initiatives offer important foundations on which Nepal can build. Yet their long-term success depends on sustainable financing, sound scientific evidence and policies that recognize the economic and social value of healthy ecosystems.
As a developing and biodiversity-rich country, Nepal also has a strong interest in ensuring that international biodiversity finance is accessible, predictable and equitable, enabling conservation efforts without placing disproportionate financial burdens on local communities.
From Global Promises to Measurable Action
COP17 presents governments with a crucial opportunity to confront the gap between ambition and implementation. The 2030 deadline is approaching, and the latest assessment makes clear that current efforts are insufficient to deliver the full promise of the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Success will depend on more than declarations made at an international summit. It will require governments to reform policies that encourage environmental destruction, redirect investment towards nature-positive activities, strengthen monitoring systems and ensure that conservation commitments are reflected in everyday economic and development decisions.
The message from Yerevan is clear: protecting biodiversity is not merely an environmental responsibility. It is essential for food security, water availability, public health, economic resilience and the well-being of present and future generations.
With the world’s natural systems under increasing pressure, governments must use COP17 to turn international commitments into credible, adequately financed and measurable action before the 2030 deadline slips further out of reach.
Sources: United Nations, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and Reuters.
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