58% of Nations Submit New Biodiversity Plans Ahead of COP17

At COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia, 113 of 196 parties—58%—have released new National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), a sharp rise from 55% a year earlier. The plans, required by the 2024 deadline, feed into the UN’s global report that will inform the first review of progress toward the Kunming‑Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s 23 2030 targets. African countries such as Ethiopia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, and South American nations including Brazil and Chile, have added new NBSAPs, while megadiverse states like Papua New Guinea, Peru, South Africa, the US and Russia remain without one. Roughly half of countries also met the February deadline for their seventh national reports, and the Global Environment Facility has helped 120 of 139 requesting nations secure funding for plan preparation.