The recent UN Biodiversity Conference in Yerevan, Armenia, came at a crucial time for global sustainability efforts. The year 2026 marks the halfway point in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, a plan that sets out 20 targets to protect and conserve nature by 2030.
One of the outcomes of this multilateral gathering was the Yerevan Declaration, officially titled the “Yerevan Declaration – Taking Action for Nature.” This nonbinding declaration was formally adopted on October 16, 2026, in the Armenian capital that hosted the summit and gave it its name.
With the 2030 deadline drawing closer, discussions focused on how to turn these commitments into action. Key priorities included protecting at least 30% of the world’s land and marine areas, restoring degraded ecosystems, and mobilizing at least 200 billion dollars a year to fund conservation efforts. The declaration also emphasized the importance of advancing science, innovation, and international cooperation to achieve these goals, a key topic of discussion at the summit.
Speaking at the opening plenary session in Yerevan, Armenia, Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, stressed the importance of these measures and their impact on the planet.
“We must accelerate our efforts and turn commitments into real change,” said Schomaker, describing COP17 as “a unique opportunity to assess progress in biodiversity conservation and agree on new, concrete measures.”
Measuring progress to drive meaningful change
This message was echoed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who stressed that it is still possible to “halt and reverse biodiversity loss” if countries can close what he described as the “gap between ambition and action.”
The State of Biodiversity Action report, presented in Yerevan, assessed collective progress in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. It found that more than 70% of those involved had measured and reported their results, while stakeholders—including Indigenous peoples, local communities, subnational governments, NGOs, and the private sector—had made some 5,000 commitments to date. Despite this progress, the report warned that much more remains to be done.
Against this backdrop, discussions also explored how businesses, financial markets, and economic policies can evolve to play a greater role in protecting and restoring biodiversity.
“COP17 highlights the need for companies to turn their commitments into concrete, tangible action. This means finding more efficient ways to manage resources. The circular economy has a vital role to play in this process, helping us use water responsibly, increase waste circularity, and protect and enhance biodiversity,” says Marién Benavente, Head of Environment at Moeve.
Takao Aiba, Chair of the Planning Subcommittee of the Keidanren Committee on Nature Conservation and General Manager of Projects in the Environmental Affairs Division at Toyota Motor Corporation, also shared the findings of a survey involving 332 participants in Japan. The results showed how Japanese companies are expanding their efforts to support the targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
In 2022, each company was working toward an average of 4.1 of the framework's targets. By 2025, that figure had risen to 6.8. The survey found particularly strong progress on the target encouraging companies to assess, monitor, and disclose information about their relationship with and commitment to biodiversity, with 53% of respondents now taking action in this area.
Water: essential to managing and protecting biodiversity
One of the biggest challenges on the international biodiversity agenda is turning environmental commitments into action that delivers real results on the ground. Ocean governance offers a clear example, particularly when it comes to protecting marine biodiversity in areas governed by different legal frameworks.
During her presentation, Radhika Bhargava, a researcher at the National University of Singapore, focused on the ecological connections between ecosystems. She argued that conservation policies need to take these relationships into account rather than treating each ecosystem in isolation.
Bhargava noted that global mangrove coverage has increased overall since 2010, although she cautioned that this growth does not mean coastal ecosystems are no longer under threat. Charlotte Salpin, from the United Nations Secretariat for the BBNJ Agreement, echoed the need for a broader approach, pointing out that marine species and ecosystems do not follow the boundaries between maritime jurisdictions. She emphasized that international cooperation and integrating biodiversity considerations into policies across different sectors are essential.
Spain: “Maintain ambition, accelerate action”
Spain demonstrated its commitment at COP17 with 1.4 billion euros earmarked for biodiversity and habitat conservation and restoration in 2026. The country has also surpassed the 30% protection threshold for its land area, with 22% of its marine areas now protected.
Spain's Secretary of State for the Environment, Hugo Morán, called on the international community to step up efforts to halt biodiversity loss, emphasizing multilateral cooperation as a key tool for achieving this goal. He also highlighted progress in public-private partnerships aimed at bringing the value of natural capital into business decision-making.
“The progress made so far is significant and gives us reason to be pleased, but the challenges ahead demand that we maintain our ambition and accelerate action,” Morán stressed, adding that conservation efforts must extend beyond the boundaries of specially protected areas.
The work still ahead for biodiversity
To achieve these goals, the Yerevan Declaration, signed at the start of COP17, called for greater ambition backed by practical action. Its message was clear: biodiversity is no longer an issue confined to a single sector, but a shared international responsibility that must be reflected in concrete economic and environmental decisions.
According to the UN report Nature’s Comeback: Scaling Ecosystem Restoration for People and Planet, presented during the summit, restoration efforts are now underway across 252 million hectares of degraded ecosystems in 149 countries. This represents the largest area documented to date, although the report warns that countries will need to step up their efforts to meet international nature restoration targets for 2030.
The summit in Armenia reinforced a central message: restoring nature requires a coordinated global effort, supported by consistent policies, long-term funding, and meaningful participation from local communities and Indigenous peoples.
