WCS: UN Biodiversity Conference COP17 in Yerevan lacked ambition

The UN Biodiversity Conference (COP17) has concluded in Yerevan, with representatives from nearly two hundred countries participating; however, its final decisions failed to provide the necessary level of ambition to overcome the global crisis. This was stated by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), as reported by The Armenian Mirror-Spectator. According to the organization's assessment, the adopted 'Yerevan Pathway' document and other summit agreements clearly identified the scale of the problem but did not offer effective mechanisms for its resolution.

WCS Vice President for International Policy Susan Lieberman emphasized that the Armenian government organized the forum excellently, creating an effective platform for dialogue and exchange of experience. Nevertheless, the negotiations themselves ended with weak practical results. According to her, there are only four years left until 2030, and the international community cannot afford meetings that merely diagnose the crisis without accelerating measures to overcome it.

WCS Director for International Policy Alfred DeGemmis noted that the summit in Yerevan demonstrated the infiltration of obstructionist politics from climate negotiations into the sphere of biodiversity protection. According to data from the global review of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, less than half of national targets are currently being met properly, and the conservation of at least 30 percent of land and sea by 2030 still faces a deficit of funding and data.

Among the positive outcomes of the meeting, WCS highlighted the launch of the Yerevan Global OECM Action Hub in the Armenian capital, as well as the inclusion of provisions on ecosystem monitoring and subsidy reform in the final documents. At the same time, environmentalists expressed disappointment that decisions on coordinating the climate agenda and biodiversity were reduced to voluntary guiding principles, the discussion of which was postponed until the next summit. The COP18 conference will take place in 2028 in the Ecuadorian capital, Quito.