A critical year for nature: four things needed to accelerate global biodiversity action 

As governments from around the world gather for the UN Biodiversity Conference, COP17, a new paper led by researchers at the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery (University of Oxford) and WWF argues that this is a critical moment to accelerate action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

Published in Conservation Letters, A Critical Year for Nature: Now Is the Time to Accelerate Action on the Global Biodiversity Framework discusses the state of progress since countries adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in 2022. Whilst much positive action has been delivered as a result of these ambitious goals set out in the framework, the authors warn that progress so far remains highly insufficient, while biodiversity continues to decline and the risks of irreversible ecological tipping points grow.

The paper identifies four key needs that could help countries move from commitments towards faster and more effective action for nature.

1. Independently track action and outcomes, not just commitments

The authors argue that greater transparency is needed about what countries are actually doing to implement their biodiversity commitments. This means understanding which policies have been adopted, how they are being implemented, what resources are available, what barriers countries face, and ultimately whether policies are delivering the outcomes needed for nature.

An independent mechanism for tracking implementation would complement formal reporting under the Convention on Biological Diversity, while creating opportunities for countries (and actors within countries e.g., businesses, community groups) to learn from one another about what works in practice.

2. Prioritise the actions that can have the greatest impact

Countries differ substantially in their ecological, social and economic contexts, as well as in their capacity to act. The paper argues that biodiversity action therefore needs to be prioritised according to where countries can make the greatest contribution to global nature recovery. We need to take a ‘forward-looking’ approach to prioritizing the most effective future action, and not just backward looking assessments of progress as has often been the case up until present.

Crucially, this requires looking beyond national borders, and considering the international impacts of action and inaction. Consumption, trade, supply chains and financial flows in one country can have major impacts on biodiversity elsewhere. National action, and prioritization exercises that assess where to spend limited funds, should therefore consider both domestic biodiversity and countries’ wider global footprints.

3. Make biodiversity action a whole-of-society effort 

Governments are central to delivering the Global Biodiversity Framework, but they cannot do it alone. Indigenous Peoples and local communities, businesses, researchers, civil society and sub-national governments are already taking actions that contribute to global biodiversity goals, yet many of these efforts are not systematically captured in national reporting or prioritization exercises. 

The authors call for broader and more transparent dialogue that acknowledges actions across society, enabling lessons to be shared, contributions to be recognised, and positive and negative impacts to be better linked together and understood. 

4. Put context-specific science at the heart of decisions 

Finally, countries need better scientific evidence to help decide which actions to prioritise. Rather than relying solely on global analyses, the authors call for context-specific, national-scale assessments that can compare different policy options, including their likely biodiversity impacts, costs and implications for biodiversity overseas. 

The paper argues that modelling and scenario analysis at a national scale is needed to support decisions even in the face of uncertainty, helping countries identify actions likely to deliver positive outcomes across a range of possible futures, and accounting for the international effects of national-level action.  

Turning these needs into action 

The paper highlights two initiatives under development that could help respond to these needs: the Nature Action Tracker, an independent platform being developed to track and assess implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework, and NATURE Impacts, led by WWF-UK and the University of Oxford, which is developing approaches to help countries identify and prioritise actions that could make the greatest contribution to global nature recovery. Work on NATURE Impacts has been supported by the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery and WWF.