The Biodiversity Summit (COP17) concluded its proceedings in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, with the participation of representatives from nearly 200 countries, where attendees adopted a new action plan known as the "Yerevan Pathway". This plan aims to accelerate efforts to achieve the goals of the 2022 Kunming-Montreal agreement, which seeks to protect one-third of the world's land and sea areas by 2030.
Funding Challenges and International Commitments
Participants acknowledged that the current pace of nature conservation efforts remains too slow, putting the 2030 goals at risk. Steven Guilbeault, former Canadian Minister of Environment, noted that funding remains the biggest obstacle, expressing his disappointment with the weak contributions to the fund dedicated to companies that benefit from genetic resources, which remains nearly empty.
For her part, Catherine Weller, Global Policy Director at Fauna & Flora, criticized the significant gap between promises and reality, emphasizing that the world has the financial capacity to provide $200 billion annually to protect ecosystems, but the financial will remains insufficient.
What Changes Practically?
The "Yerevan Pathway" includes specific commitments that include:
- Doubling efforts to eliminate subsidies and incentives that harm nature.
- Strengthening financial, scientific, and technical support for developing countries.
- Developing more rigorous monitoring and reporting mechanisms to ensure transparency.
On the sidelines of the summit, new financial commitments of nearly $2 billion were announced, most notably the Netherlands' contribution of $500 million to the Brazilian "Tropical Forest Forever Facility" initiative, which aims to provide financial incentives for countries to preserve their forests.
Current Context
Despite the cautious optimism expressed by some experts, data indicates a 27% decline in international funding allocated to protected areas for the period between 2026 and 2030, as a result of armed conflicts and global energy price fluctuations. This summit confirms that protecting biodiversity is no longer just an environmental issue, but has become a fundamental pillar for food security and global economic resilience.