Delegates from nearly 200 nations concluded negotiations in Yerevan on Saturday morning to establish a new international agreement on biodiversity conservation. The talks, which extended beyond their scheduled completion time, resulted in approval of key provisions for a revised action plan aimed at reversing nature’s decline globally.
This agreement builds on a landmark 2022 accord known as the Global Biodiversity Framework, which set targets including protecting 30% of the world’s land and seas by the end of the decade. Environmental experts noted that species are currently disappearing at rates 100 times higher than natural extinction levels due to human activities. According to UN assessments, however, countries are tracking to meet only one of the original two dozen targets established four years ago.
Countries acknowledged during this week’s negotiations that their progress has been inadequate and that course corrections are necessary. Some conservation gains have been documented, with nations having placed 623 million acres of degraded land under protection. Species recovery efforts have also shown promise in key populations including elephants, sea turtles, and tigers, according to recent conservation reports.
Financial constraints emerged as the primary obstacle to accelerating protection efforts. In 2022, nations committed to allocating $30 billion toward nature recovery by decade’s end and mobilizing an additional $170 billion from private sources. Implementation has lagged, however, as many countries have redirected international aid toward defense budgets and energy security concerns. At this week’s meeting, pledges exceeding $1 billion were announced, with philanthropic organizations contributing approximately half that amount.
Negotiators also grappled with a voluntary funding mechanism designed to generate revenue from companies utilizing genetic material sourced from biodiverse regions, though minimal progress was achieved on this initiative. Additional discussions addressed reducing subsidies for environmentally harmful industries, particularly large-scale fishing operations. A small number of countries, including Saudi Arabia and Russia, reportedly obstructed approval of scientific assessments on nature’s status, drawing criticism from international observers and delegates.
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