The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) stands as a groundbreaking international agreement adopted on December 19, 2022, at the 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). This framework emerged from more than four years of consultations and negotiations. Many now call it a “Paris Agreement for Nature.” The agreement, first named the “Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework,” charts a bold path toward humanity living in harmony with nature by 2050.
Two cities shaped the Framework’s name. Kunming, China, planned to host COP15 in October 2020 but stepped back due to COVID policies. Montreal, Canada, home to the CBD Secretariat, hosted the conference. The event marked a turning point as 196 countries pledged to tackle biodiversity loss.
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s main purpose focuses on stopping and reversing natural loss by 2030. This bold target responds to an environmental emergency where wildlife populations dropped by 69% in five decades. Human activities have transformed three-quarters of Earth’s land and two-thirds of its ocean.
The agreement rests on four connected long-term goals for 2050 and 23 action-oriented global targets for 2030. Countries must start working on these targets now to reach the 2050 goals. A key commitment involves protecting 30% of the world’s land, freshwater, and seas by 2030. The plan also aims to restore 30% of damaged ecosystems during this time.
COP15 created a complete package of decisions to guide the GBF’s implementation. The package has:
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework sets clear guidelines for national actions, though it lacks legal binding power. Each country must create national targets to implement the GBF. Additionally, other groups are allowed to create their own commitments. Nations need to turn this global plan into national biodiversity strategies and present them to the United Nations at the next global biodiversity conference in 2024.
The GBF builds on previous Strategic Plans and supports the Sustainable Development Goals. Among several CBD agreements, this one stands out as the most important. People have celebrated it as a “huge, historic moment” and a “major win for our planet and for all of humanity.”
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework has a complete strategy to curb biodiversity decline at its heart. This strategy combines quick action with future planning to protect Earth’s species from further decline.
The framework wants to stop human-caused extinction of known threatened species. Target 4 demands “urgent management actions” to prevent extinctions from human activities and help threatened species recover. This target addresses the concerning fact that approximately one million plant and animal species could face extinction.
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework requires both in situ (in natural habitats) and ex situ (such as captive breeding programs) conservation approaches. It also calls for better management of human-wildlife interactions to reduce conflict and help species coexist. Research shows 3,960 species need urgent management actions that other targets alone don’t deal very well with.
The framework sets an ambitious target to cut both extinction rates and risks by tenfold by 2050. This shows dedication to lowering the current extinction rate to just 10% of what it is now.
Scientists use 2011-2020 as the reference period to determine current extinction rates. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species serves as the main indicator to track this goal’s progress. Notwithstanding that, measuring progress remains challenging because the IUCN hasn’t evaluated most non-vertebrate species, and many existing assessments need updates.
The framework’s strategy goes beyond preventing extinctions. It aims to boost native wild species populations to “healthy and resilient levels.” Simply preventing extinction isn’t enough—species must bounce back to meaningful population sizes.
Species need to recover to levels where they actively contribute to ecosystem function. This recognizes biodiversity as an intricate network where losing one species affects others and disrupts ecosystem services.
Scientists can track progress by comparing average population numbers of selected species to historical data. Through this strategy—stopping extinctions, lowering extinction risk, and rebuilding native species populations—the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework charts a course toward reversing biodiversity loss and achieving a nature-positive world by 2030.
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework features several connected parts that want to spark action on biodiversity conservation and green practices in the coming decades.
The framework’s four main goals line up with the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity. Goal A (“Protect and Restore”) puts ecosystem integrity first and stops human-caused extinction of threatened species. It also cuts extinction rates by tenfold and keeps genetic diversity intact. Goal B (“Prosper with Nature”) promotes sustainable management of biodiversity to boost nature’s contributions to people. Goal C (“Share Benefits Fairly”) makes sure genetic resources’ benefits are shared equally, including digital sequence information and traditional knowledge. Goal D (“Invest and Work Together”) secures ways to implement changes and gradually closes the yearly biodiversity funding gap of USD 700 billion.
The framework lists 23 urgent action-oriented targets in three categories to reach these long-term goals. The first category (Targets 1-8) tackles biodiversity threats. It aims to protect 30% of land and marine areas by 2030, restore 30% of damaged ecosystems, and stop human-caused extinction of known threatened species. The second category (Targets 9-13) deals with sustainable use and benefit-sharing. It covers sustainable management of wild species, agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, and forestry. The third category (Targets 14-23) offers tools and solutions to implement changes. This category includes removing harmful subsidies worth at least USD 500 billion yearly and raising USD 200 billion annually for biodiversity by 2030.
A complete monitoring framework stands as a key breakthrough in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. All parties must use the system’s headline indicators in their national reporting. Component and complementary indicators provide more detailed analysis options. Countries can track their progress toward goals and targets using consistent indicators gathered at national levels. Success depends on how well indicators cover goals and targets, national monitoring systems’ adoption, and information sharing. Countries need to submit their seventh national reports by February 2026, before the 17th Conference of Parties. These reports will use templates from the framework’s annexes and help review overall progress globally.
Nations worldwide must take concrete action to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. A systematic and collaborative effort will help countries turn global commitments into national progress.
Countries need to turn the global plan into national actions after adopting the framework. The framework requires all but one of these parties to update their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) to match its goals and targets. The clearing house mechanism must receive these updated plans before the sixteenth Conference of the Parties meeting.
Countries that miss the NBSAP submission deadline can still submit their national targets as standalone documents that reflect the framework’s goals. These plans must match all framework targets and include ways to attract private financing. Countries should also adopt these NBSAPs as policy instruments and weave them into broader strategies like development and poverty reduction plans.
We tracked the implementation through national-level data. The framework asks parties to use headline indicators in their national planning and requires them for Convention reporting. Parties agree on indicator methods, which countries calculate using their monitoring networks and data sources.
Countries can tap into global datasets when their national data falls short. The UN Biodiversity Lab will create tools between 2023-2025 to help users calculate their country’s indicators directly. These global datasets also serve as benchmarks for countries to measure their national data.
The accountability process needs countries to join a structured review system. They must submit their seventh national reports by February 2026, before the 17th Conference of Parties. The framework’s annexes provide templates for these reports that help track global progress together.
This layered approach will give a standard way to track global goals while respecting each country’s situation and priorities. Countries should boost their capacity-building, share technology, and promote scientific cooperation and innovation throughout this process.
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework needs strategic improvements despite its detailed approach.
Recent studies show that 23-56 elements (12-29%) of the framework have no indicators to measure success. Goals B, C, and D, along with eleven targets (1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, and 19), cannot be tracked with the current system. Some targets need completely new indicators. The biggest challenge lies in Target 8, which pertains to climate change, as it lacks a headline indicator and includes several elements that are not measurable. The IUCN Red List of Ecosystems, which serves as a headline indicator for Target 1, covers only 509 ecosystems worldwide and hasn’t been updated since 2021.
Biodiversity indicators don’t work well enough at local levels and short time frames. The current systems focus on global and national changes but miss the small-scale shifts that are vital to measure real progress. Many ecosystem indicators lack the basic tools to make them work. Data collection should follow FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) and CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, Ethics) principles. Businesses trying to match the framework’s goals face hurdles because available biodiversity indices overlook metrics related to ecosystem integrity, connectivity, genetic diversity, and Indigenous knowledge.
Community-based monitoring and information systems (CBMIS) provide a vital chance to improve. These systems offer cross-cutting data that helps track multiple targets, especially in remote areas where even excellent indicators have gaps. CBMIS includes traditional knowledge that matters to the framework and reflects community needs and different value systems. Yet people worry that citizens won’t be involved enough in taking action and tracking progress. Studies reveal that 63% of 186 indicators across 12 international environmental agreements could work better with community science approaches. The monitoring systems should adapt to different contexts and let various rightsholders participate while staying accountable with meaningful indicators.
As you’ve seen, the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework isn’t just another policy document—it’s the roadmap that will shape corporate resilience and unlock new market opportunities. Don’t let your team fall behind.
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