COP17 Kicks Off Amid Patchy Biodiversity Plans and a Race to Hit 2030 Nature Goals

The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) on biodiversity opened in Yerevan, Armenia, under a palpable sense of urgency. Nations are hustling to finish long‑overdue paperwork that will shape how progress on protecting nature is measured over the next decade.

According to the latest UN data, 113 countries – roughly 58 % of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) – have now submitted updated National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs). That’s a big jump from the 55 submissions recorded a year ago, but it also means almost half the world’s governments are still missing the deadline.

The NBSAPs are the backbone of the Kunming‑Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022. The framework set a bold mission: halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, with 23 intertwined targets covering everything from protected areas to ecosystem restoration, climate‑friendly land use and financial support for developing nations.

When COP16 took place in 2024, parties were supposed to have their revised plans in hand. In reality, only a handful met that target. Negotiators then agreed to keep the pressure on, urging countries to submit whatever they could as quickly as possible. The recent surge in filings arrives just in time for the first major mid‑term review of the framework at COP17.

Developing nations, especially across Africa, have driven much of the recent progress. Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe have all uploaded fresh strategies. South America isn’t far behind, with Brazil, Belize and Chile joining the list, and the host country Armenia posted its own update in April.

Nevertheless, some important players are still silent on the NBSAP front. Papua New Guinea, Peru, South Africa and Russia have yet to deliver full plans, and the United States – which remains outside the CBD – has not submitted anything either.

For countries that can’t yet provide a complete NBSAP, the framework allows the submission of national biodiversity targets instead. Those are broader, goal‑oriented statements that lack the detailed implementation road‑maps found in full strategies. Encouragingly, the number of nations offering at least one target has climbed from 119 at the end of COP16 to 175 today, covering about 89 % of parties.

Reporting compliance is also inching upward. While only half of the parties managed to file their seventh national reports on time earlier this year, overall participation has risen to 73 %.

Funding shortfalls remain a major bottleneck, especially for lower‑income countries wrestling with limited technical capacity. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has stepped in, approving financial assistance for most nations that requested it, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) continues to coordinate supplemental support.

All eyes will now turn to the Yerevan negotiations. Delegates must decide whether the current pace of action is enough to keep the 2030 nature goals within reach, or if more ambitious, binding commitments are needed before the deadline looms.