Africa's Biodiversity Agenda at UN Summit in Yerevan

The 17th U. N. Convention on Biological Diversity summit opened in Yerevan, Armenia, on October 19. Africa's agenda focuses on finance and indigenous rights. The summit marks the halfway point to meet 23 global biodiversity targets. A progress report shows that fewer than half of countries are on track to meet their self-designed targets. Three African countries, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, and South Africa, are among the world's megadiverse countries, each home to at least 5,000 endemic plant species. None of these countries met the initial 2024 deadline for a national biodiversity strategy, with South Africa still lacking an action plan.