Countries will meet in Armenia this month to carry out the first global review of progress towards meeting key nature targets by 2030.
These targets – and the wider ambition to halt and reverse biodiversity loss around the world – were agreed in the landmark Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in 2022.
But the ambitions will not be achieved in time for the 2030 deadline unless action “accelerates rapidly”, a key UN report found.
It noted that nations are falling short on 22 of 23 nature targets, which focus on restoring ecosystems, increasing nature finance and reducing harmful subsidies.
This report and other findings will inform the global progress review taking place at the COP17 biodiversity summit in Armenia over 19-30 October.
The sections below summarise the report’s findings on where progress has – and has not – been made on each of the 23 targets.
They also rank the extent to which countries have addressed elements of each target on a national basis. Click on each target for more information. Key terms are defined throughout each section and in a glossary below.
“Ensure that all areas are under participatory, integrated and biodiversity inclusive spatial planning and/or effective management processes…to bring the loss of areas of high biodiversity importance…close to zero by 2030, while respecting the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities.”
So far…
- 47% of countries have addressed at least half of the elements of the target.
- 49% of relevant national targets are on track or achieved.
- 50% of the way towards meeting the global target, according to key indicators.
- 44% of countries reported quantitative data on key indicators.
Lack of progress
- “Major gaps” in integrating biodiversity into broader planning processes.
- Ensuring “participatory implementation”.
- Expanding implementation beyond protected areas.
- National targets often do not fully address integrated planning and participation requirements.
- Challenges include expanding implementation beyond protected areas.
Good progress
- Developing “biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning and management”.
“Ensure that by 2030 at least 30% of areas of degraded terrestrial, inland water and marine and coastal ecosystems are under effective restoration…”
So far…
- 56% of countries have addressed at least half of the elements of the target.
- 46% of relevant national targets are on track or achieved.
- 50% of the way towards meeting the global target, according to key indicators.
- 39% of countries reported quantitative data on key indicators.
Lack of progress
- Restoration commitments and implementation “below” levels needed to meet target.
- “Less progress” in marine, coastal and freshwater areas than land.
- National targets often do not include ways to address the effectiveness of restoration efforts.
- Monitoring progress limited by “inconsistent definitions and monitoring approaches”.
“Ensure and enable that by 2030 at least 30% of terrestrial and inland water areas and of marine and coastal areas…are effectively conserved and managed…and integrated into wider landscapes, seascapes and the ocean, while ensuring that any sustainable use…is fully consistent with conservation outcomes, recognising and respecting the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities, including over their traditional territories.”
So far…
- 48% of countries have addressed at least half of the elements of the target .
- 50% of relevant national targets are on track or achieved.
- 25% of the way towards meeting the global target, according to key indicators.
- 65% of countries reported quantitative data on key indicators.
Lack of progress
- “Insufficient” ambition and implementation to “fully” achieve the target.
- Assessing progress on other conservation measures impacted by “methodological limitations”.
- National targets are “less well-aligned” with qualitative aspects of the target.
- “Low” monitoring and reporting of some aspects of the target, including recognition of Indigenous and local territories.
- Implementation challenges include “lack of finance and capacity”.
Good progress
- “Expanding and managing” more protected areas, especially marine and coastal.
- Designating areas for “effective” conservation and management.
- Getting to the “early stage” of implementing and monitoring other “area-based conservation measures”.
“Ensure urgent management actions to halt human-induced extinction of known threatened species and for the recovery and conservation of species, in particular threatened species, to significantly reduce extinction risk…and effectively manage human-wildlife interactions to minimise human-wildlife conflict.”
So far…
- 70% of countries have addressed at least half of the elements of the target.
- 36% of relevant national targets are on track or achieved.
- 0% of the way towards meeting the global target, according to key indicators.
- 68% of countries reported quantitative data on key indicators.
Lack of progress
- Progress assessment “constrained” by “uneven” national monitoring, “incomplete” categorisation and “limited” genetic diversity data.
- Continued “pressures on threatened species and extinction risks”.
- National targets do not sufficiently address issues around maintaining and restoring genetic diversity and managing human-wildlife interactions.
“Ensure that the use, harvesting and trade of wild species is sustainable, safe and legal…while respecting and protecting customary sustainable use by Indigenous peoples and local communities.”
So far…
- 60% of countries have addressed at least half of the elements of the target.
- 42% of relevant national targets are on track or achieved.
- 83% of the way towards meeting the global target, according to key indicators.
- 33% of countries reported quantitative data on key indicators.
Lack of progress
- “Insufficient” evidence to assess progress on all aspects of the target.
- “Major knowledge, monitoring and capacity gaps limit implementation and assessment of sustainable harvesting”.
- National targets not sufficiently addressing the aim to reduce risk of pathogen spillover.
- Progress hindered by “substantial knowledge, data and technical gaps”.
- Implementation impacted by “legal, financial, administrative and capacity constraints”.
Good progress
- “Strengthening legal and policy frameworks for the sustainable use and trade of wild species”.
- “Advances” in regulated trade and sustainable harvesting.
- Generally well-aligned national targets.
“Eliminate, minimise, reduce and/or mitigate the impacts of invasive alien species on biodiversity and ecosystem services by identifying and managing pathways of the introduction of alien species, preventing the introduction and establishment of priority invasive alien species, reducing the rates of introduction and establishment of other known or potential invasive alien species by at least 50% by 2030 and eradicating or controlling invasive alien species, especially in priority sites, such as islands.”
So far…
- 54% of countries have addressed at least half of the elements of the target.
- 32% of relevant national targets are on track or achieved.
- 67% of the way towards meeting the global target, according to key indicators.
- 27% of countries reported quantitative data on key indicators.
Lack of progress
- “Difficult to assess” progress.
- Most countries are “not on track to achieve national targets” related to this target.
- National targets do not capture the “full scope” of the target.
- Few countries list “quantitative elements that match the global ambition” of the target.
- Monitoring challenges include “limited baseline data” and “low capacity to detect” invasive species.
- Too soon to assess the “long-term effects” of countries’ efforts on invasive species.
- Effective actions, such as biosecurity measures, are “not broadly in place” across countries.
Good progress
- Countries report “significant actions taken to deliver on the target”, such as biosecurity measures.
“Reduce pollution risks and the negative impact of pollution from all sources by 2030, to levels that are not harmful to biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, considering cumulative effects, including…by reducing excess nutrients lost to the environment by at least half…reducing the overall risk from pesticides and highly hazardous chemicals by at least half… [and] preventing, reducing and working towards eliminating plastic pollution.”
So far…
- 55% of countries have addressed at least half of the elements of the target.
- 36% of relevant national targets are on track or achieved.
- 50% of the way towards meeting the global target, according to key indicators.
- 30% of countries reported quantitative data on key indicators.
Lack of progress
- “Uneven” progress towards addressing pollution.
- Assessing progress is hindered by “major gaps in data availability”.
- Constrained ability to track progress due to “low reporting” on indicators, “uneven” monitoring systems and “limited comparability” across indicators.
- Challenging for countries to effectively and fairly consider and manage “impacts on food security and livelihoods”.
Good progress
- Many relevant national targets mention reducing pollution risks to levels not harmful to biodiversity.
“Minimise the impact of climate change and ocean acidification on biodiversity and increase its resilience through mitigation, adaptation and disaster risk reduction actions…while minimising negative and fostering positive impacts of climate action on biodiversity.”
So far…
- 62% of countries have addressed at least half of the elements of the target.
- 43% of relevant national targets are on track or achieved.
- 50% of the way towards meeting the global target, according to key indicators.
- 18% of countries reported quantitative data on key indicators.
Lack of progress
- Progress is “not being made at a sufficient rate”.
- Implementation constrained by data gaps, limited means and poor coherence between “biodiversity, climate and disaster risk reduction planning”.
- National targets are less well aligned with efforts to “minimis[e] impacts of ocean acidification”.
- “Important approaches”, such as ecosystem restoration and nature-based solutions, are “not being deployed” at the scale needed.
Good progress
- Countries report progress on actions to “strengthen climate resilience and adaptation”.
- Generally well-aligned national targets.
- Actions that have been implemented are “generally effective”.
“Ensure that the management and use of wild species are sustainable, thereby providing social, economic and environmental benefits for people…including through sustainable biodiversity-based activities, products and services that enhance biodiversity and protecting and encouraging customary sustainable use by Indigenous peoples and local communities.”
So far…
- 61% of countries have addressed at least half of the elements of the target.
- 36% of relevant national targets are on track or achieved.
- 33% of the way towards meeting the global target, according to key indicators.
- 25% of countries reported quantitative data on key indicators.
Lack of progress
- Progress is “uneven”.
- National targets do not sufficiently cover elements of the target related to Indigenous peoples and local communities.
- “Difficult” to assess headline indicator trends due to “gaps and variability” in data and methodologies.
- “Relatively low” progress on policy implementation and national targets.
- Challenges include “lack” of funds, “persistence” of harmful subsidies, “weak” enforcement and “poorly developed” monitoring systems.
Good progress
- Countries list “policies and community-based approaches” that support some target aims.
- National targets address the “broad scope” of the target.
“Ensure that areas under agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries and forestry are managed sustainably, in particular through the sustainable use of biodiversity, including through a substantial increase of the application of biodiversity-friendly practices…contributing to the resilience and long-term efficiency and productivity of these production systems and to food security, conserving and restoring biodiversity and maintaining nature’s contributions to people…”
So far…
- 60% of countries have addressed at least half of the elements of the target.
- 42% of relevant national targets are on track or achieved.
- 50% of the way towards meeting the global target, according to key indicators.
- 57% of countries reported quantitative data on key indicators.
Lack of progress
- “Uneven” progress across production sectors.
- Progress is “not on track” for more than half of relevant national targets.
- “No assessment can be made on sustainable aquaculture.”
- “Significant” challenges in scaling up biodiversity-friendly practices, while also “safeguarding food security, livelihoods and sustainable development”.
- Progress hindered by “lack” of incentives, continued harmful subsidies, “weak” enforcement, “low capacity” of local communities and “increasing” external pressures, such as climate change.
Good progress
- “Recent positive trends” in some aspects of the target.
- Well-aligned national targets.
- Reports from countries indicate “enhanced sustainability in agriculture and forestry”.
“Restore, maintain and enhance nature’s contributions to people…such as the regulation of air, water and climate, soil health, pollination and reduction of disease risk, as well as protection from natural hazards and disasters…”
So far…
- 63% of countries have addressed at least half of the elements of the target.
- 37% of relevant national targets are on track or achieved.
- 50% of the way towards meeting the global target, according to key indicators.
- 32% of countries reported quantitative data on key indicators.
Lack of progress
- “Insufficient” evidence to properly assess progress.
- National implementation is too slow.
- Challenges include applying “valuation methods” for nature’s contributions to people and frameworks for implementing nature-based solutions, and managing “trade-offs” with other sectors.
“Significantly increase the area and quality, and connectivity of, access to, and benefits from green and blue spaces in urban and densely populated areas sustainably, by mainstreaming the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and ensure biodiversity-inclusive urban planning…and contributing to inclusive and sustainable urbanisation and to the provision of ecosystem functions and services.”
So far…
- 51% of countries have addressed at least half of the elements of the target.
- 32% of relevant national targets are on track or achieved.
- 50% of the way towards meeting the global target, according to key indicators.
- 21% of countries reported quantitative data on key indicators.
Lack of progress
- “Gaps” in implementing, monitoring and aligning national targets with all aspects of the target.
- “Insufficient” data available to properly assess trends.
- Countries do not appear to be “on track” to meet “most” related national targets.
- Challenges in “data and methods for monitoring, weak planning frameworks and enforcement, poor coordination between authorities and lack of relevant expertise”.
Good progress
- National targets are “largely aligned” with aims to increase green spaces and ensure “biodiversity-inclusive urban planning”.
- Most countries report progress on including biodiversity in urban planning.
“Take effective legal, policy, administrative and capacity-building measures…to ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits that arise from the utilisation of genetic resources and from digital sequence information on genetic resources, as well as traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources, and facilitating appropriate access to genetic resources and, by 2030, facilitating a significant increase of the benefits shared, in accordance with applicable international access and benefit-sharing instruments.”
So far…
- 59% of countries have addressed at least half of the elements of the target.
- 44% of relevant national targets are on track or achieved.
- 25% of the way towards meeting the global target, according to key indicators.
- 24% of countries reported quantitative data on key indicators.
Lack of progress
- Implementing “legislative, policy and administrative requirements” for access and benefit-sharing frameworks is still in “early stages”.
- Countries have submitted “limited data” on benefits from access and benefit-sharing frameworks.
- “Regulatory challenges are among the most frequently cited obstacles to implementation”.
Good progress
- Progress in establishing “access and benefit-sharing frameworks”.
- National targets are well-aligned with aspects of the target related to genetic resources.
“Ensure the full integration of biodiversity and its multiple values into policies, regulations, planning and development processes, poverty eradication strategies, strategic environmental assessments, environmental impact assessments and, as appropriate, national accounting, within and across all levels of government and across all sectors…”
So far…
- 43% of countries have addressed at least half of the elements of the target.
- 38% of relevant national targets are on track or achieved.
- 50% of the way towards meeting the global target, according to key indicators.
- 12% of countries reported quantitative data on key indicators.
Lack of progress
- Implementation is still at an “early stage”.
- “Difficult to assess” progress due to “limited” reporting from countries.
- “Significant gaps” in covering some elements of the target in national targets, such as “integration with poverty eradication strategies”.
- “Very few” countries have submitted quantitative indicators.
- “Persistent disconnect between formal biodiversity policies and their effective implementation.”
Good progress
- Progress in integrating biodiversity values into policies, planning and decision-making.
- Many national targets address the integration of biodiversity into policies and other rules.
- Countries report “some confidence” in meeting national targets associated with “mainstreaming” biodiversity.
“Take legal, administrative or policy measures to encourage and enable business, and in particular to ensure that large and transnational companies and financial institutions regularly monitor, assess and transparently disclose their risks, dependencies and impacts on biodiversity…Provide information needed to consumers to promote sustainable consumption patterns…Report on compliance with access and benefit-sharing regulations and measures…”
So far…
- 40% of countries have addressed at least half of the elements of the target.
- 31% of relevant national targets are on track or achieved.
- 50% of the way towards meeting the global target, according to key indicators.
- 27% of countries reported quantitative data on key indicators.
Lack of progress
- “Limited” policy implementation.
- National targets are “not well-aligned” with all elements of the target.
- Two-thirds of related national targets show “no or insufficient progress”.
- Measures to deliver on the target are being developed, but are “not yet in place”.
- Challenges include lack of “mandatory reporting frameworks”, capacity and data “gaps”, “exclusion” of smaller businesses and “inappropriate” of incentives.
Good progress
- “Increase in company disclosures.”
- Thousands of companies disclose “biodiversity-related risks”, with the number increasing each year.
“Ensure that people are encouraged and enabled to make sustainable consumption choices…and by 2030, reduce the global footprint of consumption in an equitable manner…”
So far…
- 37% of countries have addressed at least half of the elements of the target.
- 29% of relevant national targets are on track or achieved.
- 75% of the way towards meeting the global target, according to key indicators.
- 19% of countries reported quantitative data on key indicators.
Lack of progress
- National targets do not sufficiently address most aspects of the target.
- “Specific measures to address food waste, overconsumption and waste management are still under development.”
- Challenges include “weak” implementation of producer responsibility and a lack of waste facilities, finance and enforcement.
Good progress
- “Advancing” efforts to set up policies and other ways to support sustainable consumption.
“Establish, strengthen capacity for, and implement in all countries, biosafety measures…and measures for the handling of biotechnology and distribution of its benefits…”
So far…
- 50% of countries have addressed at least half of the elements of the target.
- 42% of relevant national targets are on track or achieved.
- 25% of the way towards meeting the global target, according to key indicators.
- 8% of countries reported quantitative data on key indicators.
Lack of progress
- Progress is “uneven”.
- Countries are not addressing all aspects of the target, including those on distributing the benefits of biotechnology.
- “Few” countries report relevant data and indicators.
- Challenges include implementation and enforcement of frameworks, access to lab facilities and dependency on external financing.
Good progress
- Most national targets address elements related to “establishing and implementing biosafety measures”.
“Identify by 2025, and eliminate, phase out or reform incentives, including subsidies, harmful for biodiversity…while substantially and progressively reducing them by at least $500bn per year by 2030…and scale up positive incentives for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.”
So far…
- 43% of countries have addressed at least half of the elements of the target.
- 26% of relevant national targets are on track or achieved.
- 33% of the way towards meeting the global target, according to key indicators.
- 37% of countries reported quantitative data on key indicators.
Lack of progress
- “Substantial” remaining value of harmful incentives.
- Evidence suggests the 2025 milestone to identify harmful incentives “was not achieved”.
- “Limited progress” in scaling up positive incentives.
- “Limited progress” in identifying and reforming harmful incentives.
- Uneven alignment with national targets.
- “Insufficient” progress on most of the related national targets.
- Challenges include “identifying, quantifying and reforming harmful subsidies”.
Good progress
- “Growth” in the number of positive biodiversity incentives.
“Substantially and progressively increase the level of financial resources from all sources…to implement national biodiversity strategies and action plans, mobilising at least $200bn per year by 2030, including by…Increasing total biodiversity-related international financial resources from developed countries…and from countries that voluntarily assume obligations of developed country Parties, to developing countries…to at least $20bn per year by 2025, and to at least $30bn per year by 2030.”
So far…
- 41% of countries have addressed at least half of the elements of the target.
- 33% of relevant national targets are on track or achieved.
- 25% of the way towards meeting the global target, according to key indicators.
- 68% of countries reported quantitative data on key indicators.
Lack of progress
- “Insufficient” progress on biodiversity finance.
- The milestone to reach $20bn in biodiversity finance by 2025 was “likely not achieved”, but more data is needed to make a “definitive assessment”.
- Most national targets do not address aspects of the target on “synergies of finance and the role of collective actions”.
- Increase in biodiversity finance is “below levels required to meet the target”.
- Domestic spending on biodiversity finance as a share of GDP has “declined”.
- Private biodiversity finance has fallen since peaking in 2021.
- Challenges include mobilising finance, improving funding access and simplifying the investment process.
Good progress
- Biodiversity finance is “increasing”.
- “Upward trends” in international and domestic biodiversity finance.
“Strengthen capacity-building and development, access to and transfer of technology, and promote development of and access to innovation and technical and scientific cooperation…to meet the needs for effective implementation…”
So far…
- 42% of countries have addressed at least half of the elements of the target.
- 46% of relevant national targets are on track or achieved.
- 75% of the way towards meeting the global target, according to key indicators.
- 18% of countries reported quantitative data on key indicators.
Lack of progress
- Aspects of the target remain “underdeveloped”.
- National targets “unevenly” address different elements of the target.
- More work needed on “national capacity self-assessments”.
- Challenges include “limited coverage of technical and scientific cooperation and difficulties in monitoring capacity-building outcomes”.
Good progress
- Some progress on “capacity-building and technical cooperation”.
- National targets focus on “capacity-building”, development and “access to innovation”.
- “Largely improving” trends in indicators submitted by 24 countries.
“Ensure that the best available data, information and knowledge are accessible to decision-makers, practitioners and the public to guide effective and equitable governance, integrated and participatory management of biodiversity, and to strengthen communication, awareness-raising, education, monitoring, research and knowledge management and, also in this context, traditional knowledge, innovations, practices and technologies of Indigenous peoples and local communities should only be accessed with their free, prior and informed consent…”
So far…
- 54% of countries have addressed at least half of the elements of the target.
- 44% of relevant national targets are on track or achieved.
- 75% of the way towards meeting the global target, according to key indicators.
- 24% of countries reported quantitative data on key indicators.
Lack of progress
- “Important gaps remain” in efforts to meet the target.
- National targets do not “consistently” address access to traditional knowledge.
- “Few” countries have sufficient national data to implement the monitoring framework.
- Challenges include “addressing” data gaps, “strengthening” communications and filling “gaps” related to accessing traditional knowledge.
Good progress
- Countries reported “significant efforts to improve access to and availability of biodiversity data”.
- Most national targets address “access to biodiversity data, information and knowledge”.
“Ensure the full, equitable, inclusive, effective and gender-responsive representation and participation in decision-making and access to justice and information related to biodiversity by Indigenous peoples and local communities…as well as by women and girls, children and youth, and persons with disabilities and ensure the full protection of environmental human rights defenders.”
So far…
- 38% of countries have addressed at least half of the elements of the target.
- 44% of relevant national targets are on track or achieved.
- 50% of the way towards meeting the global target, according to key indicators.
- 15% of countries reported quantitative data on key indicators.
Lack of progress
- National targets are “not well-aligned” with all aspects of the target.
- “Insufficient” data to assess trends.
- “Underdeveloped” monitoring systems.
- Few countries set national targets that include the “protection of environmental human rights defenders”.
- Challenges include methodological “limitations” and poor monitoring systems.
Good progress
- Most national targets address “some elements” of the target.
- Progress in “strengthening participation, inclusion and rights-based approaches”.
- Progress in setting up conditions for inclusion, rights-based participation and efforts. to ensure representation of Indigenous peoples and others.
“Ensure gender equality in the implementation of the framework through a gender-responsive approach, where all women and girls have equal opportunity and capacity to contribute to the three objectives of the convention…”
So far…
- 43% of countries have addressed at least half of the elements of the target.
- 42% of relevant national targets are on track or achieved.
- 25% of the way towards meeting the global target, according to key indicators.
- 13% of countries reported quantitative data on key indicators.
Lack of progress
- Implementation of actions is at an “early stage”.
- National targets do not cover the “full scope” of the target, especially on “rights and access” of women to land and natural resources.
- Challenges include policy implementation “gaps”, “limited” measurement systems, “lack” of gendered data and “incomplete” coverage of different elements of the target.
Good progress
- Progress advancing on “gender-responsive biodiversity governance”.
Glossary
Access and benefit-sharing framework
An agreement setting out the fair and equitable sharing of financial and other benefits from the use of genetic information in biodiversity.
Digital sequence information
Genetic information derived from biodiversity that can be accessed online.
Harmful subsidies
Incentives such as tax exemptions that supplement income or lower costs for consumers or producers, but ending up damaging biodiversity in some way.
Indicators
Standardised metrics used to track progress towards the targets and goals of the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Invasive alien species
Species introduced outside their natural habitats that threaten biodiversity.
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
The global agreement adopted by 196 countries aiming to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030, among other ambitions.
National targets
Those set by countries that are meant to apply the targets in the Global Biodiversity Framework on a national basis. So far, 174 countries have submitted at least one national target.
Nature-based solutions
Using nature and ecosystems to protect people and the environment, while also meeting climate goals. Examples include planting trees, restoring degraded peatlands and adding green spaces to urban areas.
Ocean acidification
Decrease in the pH levels of the world’s oceans, primarily due to oceans absorbing high amounts of carbon dioxide emissions from human activities.
Overall score
The overarching rank of progress (from 0 to 1) on each target, calculated using countries’ self-reported data and key indicators.
Positive incentives for biodiversity
Incentives that encourage actions that benefit biodiversity in some way, such as schemes to set aside agricultural land for nature.
Protected areas
Areas that are managed for the conservation of nature, while accounting for ecosystem services and cultural values. They include national parks, marine reserves and forests.
Targets
23 global nature targets that countries agreed to achieve by 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework. The framework also contains four goals for 2050.
Wild species
Animals, plants and fungi that can live without human intervention.
Discussion about this post