Nearly 90% of countries have biodiversity targets, but fewer than half are on track, UN review finds

Nearly 90% of the 196 parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have set national biodiversity targets, but fewer than half of the targets assessed by governments are on track, according to a review by the convention's secretariat, Rhett Ayers Butler reported Saturday for Mongabay.

The assessment came out as delegates gathered in Yerevan, Armenia, for the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17), where governments will review progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The 2022 agreement sets 23 targets for 2030, including protecting 30% of land and sea and mobilizing $200 billion a year.

Protected and conserved areas now cover about 18.4% of land and inland waters and 23.2% of coastal and marine areas under national jurisdiction. Counting the whole ocean, coverage drops to about 10%. Fully delivering current national pledges would lift land coverage to about 27.5%.

Countries have moved faster on conservation targets than on consumption, harmful subsidies, finance and land rights. Only 27% of parties have targets addressing the framework's goal of cutting subsidies harmful to nature by at least $500 billion a year. Restoration is further along, with 193 million hectares reported under restoration, but available indicators still show more negative than positive trends for species.

The review said biodiversity policy is often confined to environment ministries, while many drivers of loss lie in agriculture, fisheries, infrastructure, trade and finance. The United States is not a party to the convention.

This brief is based on an article published Oct. 17, 2026, by Rhett Ayers Butler on Mongabay. Read the original: https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/nearly-90-of-countries-adopt-biodiversity-targets-but-most-remain-off-track/