The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity has concluded, adopting the Yerevan Pathway which outlines priorities for action until 2030. The pathway was finalized with commitments to reduce harmful subsidies, increase funding, and align national plans with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
Around 50 agenda items were addressed, including decisions on protected areas, forest biodiversity, wildlife management, invasive alien species, and marine biodiversity. The conference also established rules of operation for a subsidiary body, committed US $2 billion in new biodiversity funding, and discussed a model framework law on forests.
Despite these outcomes, delegates acknowledged the “uneasiness of unfinished business,” with concerns that countries may not accelerate work sufficiently to meet the 2030 KMGBF targets. Civil society groups expressed skepticism, stating that while the crisis is clearer, the ambition to solve it remains insufficient. The next major assessment will occur at COP18 in 2028.
Source: Down To Earth