The symbol of COP17 is a butterfly, the Polyommatus eriwanensis, which lives only in Armenia and nowhere else in the world. The organizers chose it to remind us that biodiversity is local first and global second. In Yerevan, through October 30, nearly every country in the world must report on what has been done, nearly four years after the agreement that was supposed to protect biodiversity.
This is the first collective assessment of the Kunming-Montreal Framework, the 2022 agreement setting out 23 goals to be achieved by 2030. Before the summit, meeting in Nairobi, the countries admitted they were behind schedule on each of these goals. The precedent is not encouraging: COP16 in Cali, Colombia, ended in chaos and required another round of talks in Rome.
Where We Are
As for the best-known of the goals, the “30×30,” which calls for protecting at least 30% of land and oceans by 2030, we are behind on both fronts. Other commitments include restoring at least 30% of degraded ecosystems and halving food waste.
Governments have done almost nothingto reform the $500 billion a year in subsidies that harm nature, including tax breaks for fossil fuels and support for deforestation for agriculture. The main obstacle is money. The United States, which is not a party to the Convention, used to fund conservation through USAID, the federal agency for development aid, which was dismantled by the Trump administration: as of July 1, 2025, foreign aid has been transferred to the State Department. The United Kingdom and other European countries have also cut funding. According to the WWF, the annual gap between needed and available funds has nearly doubled since 2020, reaching $1,317 billion in 2026.
The clearest signal comes from the Cali Fund, launched in 2025 to ensure that companies benefiting from genetic resources conserved in nature contribute. The goal is $1 billion per year. At the opening of COP17 on Monday, October 19, pledges totaling $10,656 had been received. The Guardian describes it as a virtually empty fund. The Yerevan Declaration, adopted on October 16 at the leaders’ summit, acknowledges that the actions taken so far are insufficient.
Where Does Italy Stand?
Italy arrives at COP17 with 21.7% of its land area and 11.6% of its marine waters protected, according to ISPRA data cited by the WWF. The organization notes that this protection is often merely formal and calls for more protected areas—especially at sea—and more effective management of existing ones, with staff, plans, and monitoring.
National measures are also lagging behind. The 2030 Biodiversity Strategy, adopted in August 2023, did not have an implementation plan until February 26, 2026. According to the WWF, the draft National Nature Restoration Plan, submitted to the European Commission on September 25, does not specify national quantitative targets or the necessary resources. Last-minute changes regarding urban ecosystems are also a cause for concern.
