Governments are falling behind on efforts to halt biodiversity loss while failing to adequately protect Indigenous peoples, local communities and environmental defenders, independent U.N. experts warned days before countries gather in Armenia to confront the widening gap between conservation promises and results.
The warning on Friday comes as nearly 200 governments prepare for COP17, the U.N. biodiversity conference opening on Monday in Yerevan, where they will face pressure to accelerate implementation of a landmark 2022 agreement to halt and reverse the destruction of nature by 2030.
