COP17 must deliver results, not more promises, says WWF, as analysis reveals how to unblock progress for 2030 nature goals
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With only four years remaining until 2030, COP17 must generate significant political momentum and urgent actions to accelerate biodiversity recovery.
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New WWF-commissioned political analysis reveals the major barriers countries face in delivering the Global Biodiversity Framework and what could help unblock it.
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WWF urges countries to take decisive action in Yerevan, shifting from commitments to accelerated delivery by addressing the main drivers of biodiversity loss.
14 October 2026 – Building greater political will, instilling shared accountability across all parts of government, and stronger international support, are among the main pathways to unblocking progress against the Global Biodiversity Framework, as identified in a new WWF-commissioned analysis published today ahead of the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP17) taking place in Armenia next week (19-30 October).
Building on the findings of the UN’s Global Report* that revealed ambition remains too low across many countries, implementation is lagging across key targets, and progress on addressing the drivers of biodiversity decline remain particularly weak – the analysis by the Global Cooperation Institute (GCI), commissioned by WWF, analyses the political, economic and institutional conditions for why progress has stalled and what could help unblock it.
As 196 Parties come together in Yerevan to conduct the first formal Global Review of progress against the 2030 nature goals, WWF is calling on countries to use COP17 to unlock faster delivery, backed by stronger political leadership, effective and inclusive national implementation, and a clear focus on the transformative action needed to meet the 2030 goals.
Building greater political will
Facing intense short-term pressures, from constrained public finances to food and energy security concerns, governments can struggle to build the political will required for biodiversity action. The report finds this is particularly true when changes affect powerful interests or bring immediate short-term costs for certain sectors, while benefits from biodiversity actions are often shared more widely and can take longer to emerge.
Yet the world is already facing the consequences of biodiversity loss. Current economic approaches are driving impacts across biodiversity loss, climate change, water shortages, food insecurity and health risks, with unaccounted-for costs estimated to be at least US$10-25 trillion a year. Building support for future-proof choices on subsidies, public spending, land use and investment will be critical to accelerating action capable of delivering compounding benefits across multiple targets at once.
Kirsten Schuijt, Director General, WWF International said: “COP17 must move countries towards action and implementation. The benefits of collective action for nature are clear: stronger ecological resilience, more secure food and water systems, and reduced economic vulnerability. WWF’s latest Living Planet Report shows that nature can recover when the right actions are taken. Lasting progress however depends on transforming the systems driving nature loss and shifting decision-making from short-term fixes to long-term solutions. For COP17, this requires governments, businesses, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women, youth, and wider society to all participate actively in decision making that moves agreements into urgent implementation, to shape and deliver nature-positive solutions.”
Instil shared accountability across governments
Despite the Global Biodiversity Framework generating unprecedented global engagement, national biodiversity plans will not deliver if they remain the responsibility of environment ministers alone. Decisions made elsewhere in government, on agriculture, infrastructure, public spending and investment can support biodiversity goals or undermine them.
Governments need to rise to the responsibility and demonstrate leadership across ministries, so that biodiversity plans shape policies, budgets and investment decisions. Businesses also need to take stronger actions to create sustainable supply chains, while Indigenous Peoples, local communities and other rights holders must have their rights secured and upheld, and their knowledge and leadership in protecting and governing nature recognised.
Lucy Mulenkei, Co-Chair of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity and member of WWF’s Indigenous Peoples Consultative Group, said: “We made great strides two years ago at COP16 in Colombia adopting a permanent body that aims to support the full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in implementing the 2030 nature goals, but there is still so much more to be done by governments, businesses and civil society to ensure commitments about rights, equity and inclusion are implemented. Governments can establish targets and regulations, but implementation ultimately takes place across farms, forests, fisheries, businesses, cities and communities – without genuine partnership, meaningful inclusion and our rights truly recognised, the 2030 nature goals will never be achieved.”
Stronger international support
With new estimates declaring the biodiversity finance gap has almost doubled from US$711 billion in 2020 to US$1.317 trillion a year in 2026**, international biodiversity finance remains an important catalyst for scaling action. The GCI report shows that while finance remains essential, it works best when it comes with the capacity, technology, and long-term support countries need to carry out difficult reforms, such as monitoring biodiversity change and understanding nature-related impacts and disclosures from sector impacts.
“COP17 needs to deliver results, not more promises – deciding on a credible pathway towards the US$30 billion international biodiversity finance target for 2030, with finance and sector ministries aligning budgets and accelerating the repurposing of harmful subsidies. We need to get to a place where biodiversity isn’t being treated as ‘a nice to have’ when circumstances permit, but a core consideration in economic and development choices,” said Guido Broekhoven, WWF International’s Head of Multilateral Policy.
Read WWF’s Expectations Paper for the UN Biodiversity Conference COP17.
An embargoed copy of the GCI report can be downloaded here. The final report will be hosted on WWF’s website here by Wednesday 14 October 2026.
The GCI analysis highlights examples of how governments and institutions are beginning to address barriers of implementation, key examples include:
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Finland: Linking peatland restoration to national resilience
A joint Finnish environment-defence working group found that restoring peatlands in eastern and northern Finland could create nature-based protection measures supporting national defence goals, while simultaneously offering gains for biodiversity, climate adaptation and societal resilience. The example shows how biodiversity action can gain wider political relevance when connected to another clear national priority such as security. -
China: Turning fragmented responsibilities into coordinated conservation
China’s national park reforms brought previously fragmented protected-area responsibilities into a clearer national system, with defined central and local roles. The example illustrates how institutional reform can turn conservation goals into more coordinated planning and implementation.
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Brazil: Directing benefit-sharing finance to knowledge holders
Brazil’s National Benefit-Sharing Fund channels resources arising from the use of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge to organisations representing Indigenous Peoples, Quilombola communities, traditional communities and traditional farmers. It illustrates how national finance mechanisms can recognise knowledge holders and support their role in biodiversity implementation.
*The UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s Global Report shows fewer than half of the national targets assessed were reported as ‘on track’.
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Targets off-track include: Restoring degraded ecosystems (Target 2), integrating biodiversity into decision-making (Target 14) and enabling sustainable consumption (Target 16) as well as those enabling conservation actions such as spatial planning for biodiversity (Target 1), enhancing accessibility of knowledge (Target 21) and equitable decision-making (Target 22).
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Targets that are in better shape include protecting and conserving 30% of land and water by 2030 (Target 3) but marine, coastal and inland water ecosystems show consistent gaps in coverage (Target 2). The report also finds progress in efforts to strengthen climate resilience and adaptation (Target 8). Countries report using ecosystem restoration and nature-based solutions, but these approaches are not yet being applied at the scale needed.
See a summary of the Global Biodiversity Framework’s Targets and Goals.
**Calculated under a new, broader framework, so not directly comparable to 2020 figures.
About WWF
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