COP17: Nations chart ‘Yerevan Pathway’ to speed up action for nature

At the halfway mark to 2030, countries meeting in Armenia have agreed a roadmap to accelerate action for nature, after a global review found the world off track to meet its biodiversity targets.Agreement was formalised through the Yerevan Pathway as the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP17) closed in the Armenian capital on Saturday. It sets out priorities for the four years left to deliver the 23 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.Mixed message“We cannot protect nature while continuing to finance its destruction,” said Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).The pathway calls on countries to tackle subsidies that harm nature and to increase financial, scientific and technical support for developing countries. It also calls for national budgets and economic decisions to be aligned with the framework, and for stronger monitoring and reporting.“Over these two weeks we have demonstrated that differences can be bridged, commitments can become decisions and cooperation can deliver,” said COP17 President Hambardzum Matevosyan.Progress madeParties adopted nearly 50 decisions, covering areas including protected areas and...