Nearly 58% of the world’s countries have formally submitted new pledges to combat accelerating nature loss, clearing a crucial milestone two years after the original deadline established by the United Nations, according to a comprehensive new analysis by Carbon Brief.

The renewed momentum comes as government delegates prepare to travel to Yerevan, Armenia, for the upcoming COP17 biodiversity summit. The conference marks the critical halfway point of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)—a landmark international accord struck in late 2022 aimed at halting and reversing the global decline of nature by the turn of the decade.

Under the original terms of the international agreement, nations were asked to submit updated national biodiversity strategies and action plans, commonly known as NBSAPs, by the start of the COP16 biodiversity summit held in Cali, Colombia, in October 2024. However, progress initially lagged significantly behind expectations, with only 15% of member states meeting that strict deadline. Faced with widespread delays, delegates at the Cali summit negotiated and agreed upon a new text that explicitly "urges" countries to release their comprehensive action plans "as soon as possible."

That diplomatic push has yielded tangible results over the past two years. Carbon Brief’s latest tracking data reveals that 113 countries have now officially come forward with new NBSAPs. This represents a substantial leap from just 55 nations that had completed the requirement a year ago, illustrating a steady acceleration in domestic environmental planning as governments face mounting ecological pressures.

As nations converge on Yerevan for COP17, the summit will provide the international community with its first formal platform for a comprehensive global review. Delegates will evaluate collective progress toward meeting the ambitious targets established under the GBF, utilizing data compiled from national reports and newly submitted biodiversity strategies.

Global Review and the Road from Montreal

At the historic biodiversity conference in Montreal, Canada, in 2022, nearly every government on Earth signed on to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The overarching mission of the framework is clear and uncompromising: to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, putting the planet’s ecosystems on a path to recovery.

To guide this monumental effort, the GBF established a detailed roster of 23 specific targets for 2030. These targets cover an expansive and interconnected range of environmental challenges, including the large-scale restoration of degraded ecosystems, the integration of biodiversity policies into climate change mitigation, and the mobilization of adequate financial resources to help developing nations cover the substantial costs of protecting nature within their borders.

As part of the monitoring mechanisms embedded within the GBF and its foundational documents, countries agreed to a rigorous schedule for tracking their trajectory toward the 2030 goals. This architecture includes the preparation of a comprehensive "global report" coordinated directly by the United Nations, synthesized from national data to inform the high-stakes "global review" scheduled to take place at COP17.

The UN’s global report draws heavily upon countries’ newly minted NBSAPs and domestic targets. In addition, it incorporates findings from the seventh national reports, which were originally scheduled for submission to the UN in February of this year. Carbon Brief’s analysis indicates that 113 out of 196 parties—representing roughly 58% of the total—have now satisfied the call to produce a formal NBSAP.

Regional participation has shifted significantly over the past year, with a wave of developing nations stepping up their environmental commitments. A particularly prominent surge has occurred across the African continent, where numerous countries have finalized and published their updated NBSAPs. Nations joining the fold over the past year include Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Similar momentum has been observed across South America. Notably, Brazil—recognized globally as the world’s most biodiverse nation—has published its new strategy, alongside regional partners Belize and Chile. Meanwhile, COP17 host nation Armenia released its updated NBSAP in April, setting the stage for international delegates arriving in Yerevan.

Target Adjustments and Missing Megadiverse States

Recognizing the logistical and political hurdles involved in drafting comprehensive multi-year strategies, the governance structure of the GBF allowed for flexibility. Countries that found themselves unable to meet the primary deadline to submit full NBSAPs ahead of COP16 were permitted to submit national targets instead.

Unlike a full NBSAP—which typically includes detailed operational mechanisms, policy frameworks, and implementation pathways—national targets simply outline the specific biodiversity goals a country intends to pursue, without necessarily detailing the precise methodology for how those goals will be achieved.

Despite the overall rise in compliance, several critical gaps remain on the global map. Four of the world’s officially designated "megadiverse" nations—countries that collectively harbor the vast majority of Earth’s total plant and animal species—have not yet published new NBSAPs. This group includes Papua New Guinea, Peru, South Africa, and the United States.

The absence of the United States carries unique diplomatic and structural implications, as the country remains the sole UN member state that is not a signatory to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Furthermore, Russia, which encompasses the largest land area of any nation on Earth, has also yet to produce an updated NBSAP.

Nevertheless, progress is visible in alternative metrics of engagement. By the conclusion of COP16, approximately 119 parties had produced at least one formal national target. Over the subsequent two years, that figure has climbed to 175, meaning that roughly 89% of countries have now established baseline biodiversity goals under the UN framework.

Reporting compliance has similarly improved. While roughly half of all member nations managed to meet the initial February deadline to produce their seventh national reports, that proportion has since climbed to 73% of countries worldwide, providing researchers and policymakers with a clearer picture of global ecological health.

Financial Constraints and Institutional Support

Throughout the two-year period following the Montreal agreement, numerous developing countries have repeatedly voiced concerns regarding severe financial constraints. Many governments argued that a lack of adequate funding and institutional capacity has directly hindered their ability to finalize and publish comprehensive NBSAPs.

To address these systemic barriers, multilateral financial mechanisms have been deployed to assist vulnerable nations. A spokesperson for the Global Environment Facility (GEF)—the primary multilateral fund tasked with supporting the preparation of NBSAPs—noted that 120 out of 139 developing countries that requested financial assistance following COP16 have successfully accessed those resources.

The GEF spokesperson added that the United Nations Environment Programme has continued to work closely with national governments to resolve outstanding bureaucratic and technical issues, aiming to clear the path for the remaining 19 countries to secure their allocated financial support. As delegates gather in Yerevan for COP17, the intersection of adequate nature finance, rigorous reporting, and genuine policy implementation will undoubtedly remain at the forefront of global environmental negotiations.