Too few countries on track to restore nature by 2030, unveils new country tracker ahead of global nature conference

• At the time of launch of the tracker, only 10% of countries have submitted their updated plans and another 33% have only updated their national targets; 
• Most prevalent shortcomings of country plans include lack of finance to back the plans, inadequate actions to address the drivers of nature loss, and insufficient government-wide engagement;
• The fact that only a small number of countries have fulfilled their obligation is a worrying sign. WWF urges countries to stick to their promise and submit revised national plans to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, ahead of the UN biodiversity conference in Colombia.  

A review of countries’ National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) by WWF, has revealed that the majority of countries are not fully honoring their commitments to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030.

Almost two years ago at the last UN biodiversity conference in Montreal, 196 countries adopted the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. In a first step to implementing the landmark agreement, countries pledged to submit revised national action plans by the subsequent meeting – COP16 – in Cali, Colombia. With the conference only weeks away, and just over 20 revised NBSAPs and around 60 revised national targets published, WWF has serious concerns about the low number of submissions to date, and with the quality of those that have been submitted.

“We know change isn’t easy and countries are facing challenges such as a lack of funding, insufficient data and political instability, but there is a worrying gap between what was promised in Montreal, and the plans put in place so far to reverse the loss of nature by 2030,” says WWF’s Head of Global Advocacy, Bernadette Fischler Hooper. “National strategies are a country’s blueprint for restoring nature and building better lives and futures for their nations. WWF urges countries who haven’t done so, to start revising their national biodiversity planning, and to those who have – to speed up the delivery of those targets as well as stepping up support to other countries,” adds Fischler Hooper.

With only 10% of countries having submitted national plans since COP15, WWF’s NBSAP Tracker also assesses national targets published by 33% of countries. The fact that only a small number of countries have fulfilled their obligation is a worrying sign.

“There are various reasons for these poor results,” explains Fischler Hooper. “Lack of ambition to do the revisions is one, but other countries just don’t have the resources. It is, however, encouraging to see some strong national plans and targets with clear actions, though most still lack sufficient funding for implementation,” Fischler Hooper adds.

When it comes to the quality of the plans that have been published, many seem to omit clear and consistent ways of measuring progress. Without this, we could see a lack of accountability during the implementation of plans – which was one of the key failings of the Aichi Targets from 2011-2020. 

Another widespread issue is the ineffective engagement across all government bodies. Environment ministries alone cannot enact the society-wide transformational changes we need, it requires all parts of government and economic sectors to engage. The risk is that the plans will not hold the necessary political sway needed over the next five years, especially when it comes to redirecting the annual $500 billion USD in harmful subsidies to nature that countries committed to reduce.

“It’s promising to see at least ‘on paper’ that the principles of inclusive conservation that the agreement was forged in, are remaining at the heart of the framework during implementation at the national level. Plans are largely being produced in consultation and participation with civil society, academia, Indigenous Peoples, local communities and other rights holders as well as the private sector – more so than previously,” explains Lin Li, Senior Director for Global Policy and Advocacy at WWF. “Crucial to this, however, is also addressing the drivers of biodiversity loss, eliminating overconsumption and reforming the damaging business and finance models that we know are eroding the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities,” adds Li.

“COP16 has to serve as a moment to bolster equitable action, foster solutions and increase political backbone to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030. Delivering updated national actions plans is the first step – and we don’t want to fall at the first hurdle,” says Li. “WWF hopes our NBSAP Tracker will be a useful independent tool, helping to make biodiversity policy accessible to all stakeholders, including policymakers, businesses, rights-holders, citizens and organizations ahead of COP16.”

[ENDS]

Notes

• Visit WWF’s NBSAP Tracker - currently 16 NBSAPs and National Target reviews are available on the platform. Others will follow shortly.
• Read WWF’s Expectations Paper for COP16 
• To arrange interviews or further information, reach out to: news@wwfint.org
• National targets are just that – targets alone – with no actions or roadmap on how to reach them. It is the bare minimum countries can do to show progress against their commitments under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

WWF NBSAP Tracker 
WWF’s ‘NBSAP We Need’ checklist was used to identify 60+ criteria to review countries’ plans against. The checklist outlines the key steps a country should be including in their plans. 

UN Biodiversity Conference, COP16
COP16 in Cali, Colombia (21 October - 1 November 2024) will be the first time governments will convene after the adoption of the GBF in 2022, and will evaluate whether enough progress has been made by countries globally to reach its overall mission of halting and reversing nature loss by 2030. https://www.cop16colombia.com/es/  

About WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature)
WWF is an independent conservation organization, with over 30 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption. Visit www.panda.org/news for the latest news and media resources and follow us on Twitter @WWF_media.