The world promised to protect nature. So?

Issue #406: Four years ago, countries agreed on a plan to protect nature. This week, they're meeting again to see how it's going. I took the opportunity to look at what they promised, what they've actually done, and how much of the world's land and seas they're protecting.

Also this week: Indigenous leaders in the Amazon demand action on environmental crime, Peruvians recruited into Russia's war, Rwanda's Formula 1 ambitions, Israeli soldiers speak about Gaza, a South Korean singer's love letter to her best friend, and so much more.

This newsletter has been edited by Jonathan Ramsay.

Four years ago, countries agreed on the most ambitious plan to protect biodiversity. How much progress have they made?

First, what's biodiversity? The variety of life: different animals and plants, and different homes for life (like forests and rivers). Protecting biodiversity means keeping that variety alive and healthy.

Refresher:
At COP15 in Montreal in 2022, countries agreed on how to protect biodiversity worldwide under the so-called Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. It set 23 shared targets intended to stop biodiversity loss and help nature recover by 2030. Each country was expected to decide what it will do to help reach those targets and make a plan for doing it.

What happened:
Now, from October 19 to October 30, thousands of representatives of governments and organizations are coming back together at the UN Biodiversity Conference 2026 (COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia, to talk about how much progress each country has made.

Why this matters: "From the savannas of Brazil to the Pacific's coral reefs, wildlife is under severe threat. One million species of animals and plants are at risk of extinction --- and humanity is largely to blame," writes Mary Kate McCoy in Conservation International.

Tell me more:
Over the past two years, countries have updated their "conservation progress status." Their status reports have now been compiled into a single global report that will frame the negotiations at COP17 in Yerevan. This report is the first worldwide formal review of progress under the 2022 agreement. The central question is: Are countries moving fast enough to meet the targets for 2030?

So?
There's some progress. According to an assessment published on Thursday, countries have actually made substantial progress in preparing plans to protect nature, but most countries are still moving too slowly to meet the overall goals for 2030. Meaning, there's a lot of talk, not much walk.

Here are some details:

• A lot of talk. Of the biodiversity treaty's 196 members, 162 have set national goals for protecting nature. On average, these plans addressed 22 of the treaty's 23 global targets. Around 60% of countries have decided how to reach those goals, and more than 70% have assessed their own biodiversity situation and written a report on it.
• Not much walk. But fewer than half of the goals that governments reviewed are on track to be met by 2030.

Did you know? There was a previous biodiversity agreement (called the Aichi Biodiversity Targets), but that was considered a flop.

Tell me about one of those 23 targets and how much progress the world has made
One of the framework's 23 targets is "30 by 30": conserve at least 30% of land and inland waters, and 30% of marine and coastal areas, by 2030.

According to Mongabay, protected and conserved areas currently cover:

• About 18% of land and inland waters, such as rivers and lakes.
• About 23% of sea and coastal areas under countries' authority.
• About 10% of the whole ocean is protected, when waters beyond individual countries' authority are included.

But: Countries are so behind on their targets, that even if they carried out all of their current promises, they would still fall short of the 30% target in 2030.

Good to know: "There is clear scientific evidence that biodiversity loss and climate change are interconnected, and nature is important to addressing both crises. Earth's biodiversity --- from tiny organisms in the soil to animals that disperse seeds --- gives nature its ability to effectively store carbon and slow climate change. When it's lost or degraded, nature can't store as much carbon or provide other benefits that people depend on, like fresh water, food or housing materials," writes McCoy in Conservation International.

What about some others?

• Restoration is moving forward. Governments report 193 million hectares under restoration (about 1.93 million square kilometres).
• But restoration is a very unpopular topic. Fewer than 20 out of every 100 countries in the treaty have set their own goals to protect or repair at least 30% of nature that has been harmed.
• Progress on 'defund destruction' is also slow. The framework says governments should reduce financial support and other rewards for activities that...