The world is waging a ‘war on nature’ as progress on biodiversity targets lags

This article is published in association with United Nations.

Fewer than half of the national targets set to protect the world’s plants, animals and ecosystems are on track, the UN warns in a new report, days before countries gather in Yerevan, Armenia, for the COP17 biodiversity conference.

The landmark deal struck in Montreal in 2022 – the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework – set out a vision of “living in harmony with nature” by 2050, with urgent action needed by 2030.

The new report suggests the world is falling behind.

“Biodiversity underpins life on Earth,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres wrote in the report. “Safeguarding biological diversity is essential to the health of our planet, the resilience of our economies and the wellbeing of all people.”

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Trailing behind

One of the deal’s flagship goals was to protect at least 30 per cent of the world’s land, inland waters, coasts and oceans by 2030.

Yet even if current commitments are met, only 26 per cent of land and 12 per cent of the ocean would be protected by that deadline, the report finds.

Progress is also lagging on money, skills, cooperation and data, as well as on economic incentives that reward protecting nature rather than destroying it.

“This bad news means that the war on nature has not yet ended,” Mr. Guterres said at the report’s launch in Yerevan.

He warned that the world is still caught in three interlinked crises: climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

Glass half full

There has been some progress since 2022, however.

Nearly 90 per cent of countries that are parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity have set national targets, and more than half have drawn up their own plans to deliver them.

More than 70 per cent have measured and reported on their results.

Indigenous Peoples, local communities, regional and city authorities, charities and businesses have also made some 5,000 commitments – though the report warns of a serious gap between ambition and action.

The road ahead

Closing that gap will require money and expertise for developing countries on a far bigger scale, the report says.

Governments need to scrap subsidies that harm nature, strengthen social protection, redirect spending towards protecting nature and work with businesses on strong disclosure rules.

Better coordination is also needed between governments, business, civil society, young people, women and Indigenous Peoples to strengthen accountability, enforcement and cooperation.

“Biodiversity must be part of every decision being made – across policies, regulations and budgets,” Mr. Guterres said.

“Nature won’t thrive on good intentions.”