What is the 'biodiversity' COP?
COP stands for 'Conference of the Parties', which are regular United Nations (UN) conferences on its different conventions (written legal agreements between countries and the UN).
The 'biodiversity' or 'nature' COP is for the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
The next COP - COP17 - will take place from 19th-30th October 2026 in Armenia. We'll be bringing you our updates as the conference happens, and explaining what the outcomes are.
The Global Biodiversity Framework
At COP15 in 2022, Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was adopted. It followed years of global negotiations and supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. It aims to set the world on track to living in harmony with nature by 2050.
Among the Framework’s key elements are four goals for 2050 (seen down the left column of the diagram) and 23 targets for 2030.
In 2024 at The Wildlife Trusts we published a report "Local to Global: the Global Biodiversity Framework and what the UK needs to do to implement it" which outlined the steps UK Government must take to reverse nature loss and meet global targets.
The Wildlife Trusts are calling on the UK Government to take swift action on the following promises
© Lizzie Wilberforce
Protect 30% of land and sea by 2030
The UK Government played a key role in setting this global goal and has promised to meet it at home. However, the UK is falling behind, with only 2.93% of land in England properly protected for nature and just 9.7% of the sea effectively managed.
Roe deer ©Jon Hawkins - Surrey Hills Photography
Publish a plan to stop nature's decline by 2030
The UK Government has said it will review its Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) by the end of the year. The new version of this plan must clearly show how the UK will meet its environmental targets and global biodiversity commitments, including the policies and funding required.
A rainbow trout, Alexander Mustard/2020VISION
Halve pesticide harm and clean up rivers by 2030
The Global Biodiversity Framework goals include halving the damage from pesticides and reducing pollution from excess nutrients. To achieve this, the UK needs to release a National Action Plan for Pesticides (which is already six years overdue) and ensure environmental regulators can enforce penalties when water pollution laws are broken.