Introduction
Adopted at the 15th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15) in 2022, the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) outlines 4 long-term goals for 2050 and 23 action-oriented global targets for 2030. The framework aims to halt and reverse global biodiversity loss through comprehensive conservation, sustainable resource management, and equitable benefit sharing.
Key Targets under the KMGBF (2030 Action Targets)
The framework prioritises urgent action across critical areas to address the direct drivers of biodiversity decline:
- Target 3 (30x30 Target): Conserve at least 30% of terrestrial, inland water, and coastal/marine areas globally through well-connected Protected Area (PA) networks and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs).
- Target 2 (Ecosystem Restoration): Place at least 30% of degraded terrestrial, inland water, and marine ecosystems under effective ecological restoration by 2030.
- Targets 6 and 7 (Threat Mitigation): Halve the rate of introduction and establishment of invasive alien species; eliminate or significantly reduce pesticide risks and nutrient runoff by at least 50%.
- Target 18 (Harmful Subsidies): Progressively phase out or repurpose environmentally harmful subsidies by at least $500 billion annually by 2030.
- Target 19 (Resource Mobilisation): Mobilise at least $200 billion annually from all sources by 2030, including raising international biodiversity finance flows to developing countries to at least $20 billion annually by 2025 and $30 billion by 2030.
- Target 13 (Fair Benefit-Sharing): Ensure the fair and equitable sharing of monetary and non-monetary benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources and Digital Sequence Information (DSI).
Evaluation of Progress Towards KMGBF Targets
Progress towards meeting the 2030 milestones has been uneven, characterised by significant deficits alongside isolated institutional advances:
- Sluggish Policy Uptake (NBSAPs): By CBD COP16 held in Cali (2024), only 44 of the 196 member parties had submitted updated National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs). India submitted its updated NBSAP (2024–30), projecting an annual central requirement of ₹81,665 crore to achieve its domestic commitments.
- Significant Protection Deficit: Current global conservation coverage stands at approximately 17% of terrestrial land and 8.4% of marine areas (UNEP-WCMC). Without rapid acceleration in formally recognising OECMs and community-managed lands, achieving the 30% target by 2030 remains off-track.
- Acute Finance Gap: Developed countries contributed only around $8 billion per year in international biodiversity finance, substantially trailing the 2025 milestone of $20 billion annually. Pledges to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) remain below $300 million, while nature-negative subsidies still exceed $1.7 trillion annually worldwide.
- Institutional Breakthrough on DSI: A notable breakthrough at COP16 was the operationalisation of the multilateral Cali Fund, obligating commercial users of Digital Sequence Information to share proceeds, with 50% reserved for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs).
Conclusion
To avert an irreversible ecological breakdown before the COP17 global stocktake in 2026, nations must bridge the estimated $700 billion annual biodiversity finance gap. This necessitates repurposing harmful agricultural and fossil fuel subsidies into biodiversity credits, fast-tracking OECM integration with full recognition of indigenous land tenure, and enforcing corporate contributions to the Cali Fund.