A second draft of a global assessment prepared by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity was released on 26 July, evaluating countries’ progress toward the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted in 2022. The report will be finalized ahead of the nature summit COP17, scheduled to take place in Armenia in October of this year. The assessment indicates that collective implementation of biodiversity conservation efforts must accelerate significantly to achieve the 2030 targets and overarching mission to halt and reverse nature loss.
The evaluation found that nations are falling short on 22 of the 23 targets established under the framework. The report identifies two primary gaps: national targets and plans do not fully reflect the scope and ambition of global goals, and countries are not implementing sufficient action to achieve their stated targets. Progress is particularly lagging on addressing indirect drivers of biodiversity loss, such as harmful business practices and subsidies. Additionally, consistent gaps exist in protecting marine, coastal, and inland water ecosystems.
Financial and capacity constraints are impeding progress across multiple areas. The report indicates that countries have reported insufficient provision of financial resources, capacity-building, technology transfer, and knowledge sharing. These barriers disproportionately affect developing nations, least developed countries, and small island developing states. For the biodiversity finance target aiming to mobilize $200 billion annually by 2030, countries have cumulatively raised $186.4 billion over four years, falling significantly short of requirements.
The report provides a scorecard assessing progress on each of the 23 targets, with only one target receiving a “green” score indicating positive progress. Target 8, addressing climate change impacts on biodiversity through mitigation and adaptation, was the sole target achieving this rating. Significant shortfalls were documented on conservation targets, including the flagship “30 by 30” commitment to protect 30 percent of Earth’s land and sea for nature, ecosystem restoration efforts, and the elimination of harmful subsidies estimated at $500 billion annually.
Additional challenges include limited progress on genetic data sharing with developing countries and insufficient attention to traditional knowledge and Indigenous peoples’ rights. The report emphasizes that many countries face barriers including incomplete data, lack of agreed definitions, political opposition to subsidy reform, and insufficient national budget allocations for biodiversity conservation relative to competing development priorities.
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