The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) was created during the 2022 United Nations Biodiversity Conference. Its proposed name was the "Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework." The GBF was officially accepted by the 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on December 19, 2022. It is often described as a "Paris Agreement for Nature." This agreement is one of a few under the guidance of the CBD and is considered the most important one so far. It has been called a "huge, historic moment" and a "major win for our planet and for all of humanity."

The Framework is named after two cities: Kunming, which was originally planned to host COP15 in October 2020 but later postponed and gave up hosting because of China's COVID-19 policies, and Montreal, where the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity is located. Montreal took over hosting COP15 after Kunming's cancellation.

Background

Human activities around the world have led to a serious problem called the loss of biodiversity. This event is known as the Holocene extinction, which is the sixth major extinction event in Earth's history. The decrease in natural life puts about one million species at risk and affects billions of people.

Because more people are becoming aware of the biodiversity crisis, citizens and investors worldwide have pushed for action to solve the connected problems of climate change and biodiversity loss. Earlier agreements, such as the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, did not succeed in stopping the loss of biodiversity.

Before the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) was adopted, it was hoped that the GBF would be a strong, science-based agreement similar to the Paris Agreement, which is an international climate change agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. COP15, the meeting where the GBF was adopted, was called by Elizabeth Maruma Mrema (head of the Convention on Biological Diversity) a "Paris moment for biodiversity."

Goals and targets

The GBF includes four global goals called the "Kunming-Montreal Global Goals for 2050" and 23 targets called the "Kunming-Montreal 2030 Global Targets."

• Ecosystems must be kept healthy, strengthened, or restored. By 2050, the area of natural ecosystems should increase significantly. Human-caused extinction of endangered species must stop. By 2050, the risk of extinction for all species should decrease ten times, and the number of native wild species should grow to healthy levels. The genetic diversity within wild and domesticated species must be preserved to help them adapt to changes.
• Biodiversity must be used and managed in ways that support people. Ecosystem services, such as clean water and soil, should be protected and improved. These efforts will help achieve long-term goals for people and the environment by 2050.
• Benefits from using genetic resources, including digital information about these resources, and traditional knowledge linked to them must be shared fairly. This includes helping Indigenous peoples and local communities. These benefits should increase by 2050, while protecting traditional knowledge. This will help conserve and use biodiversity wisely, following international rules.
• Enough resources, such as money, training, and technology, must be available to all countries, especially developing ones, to fully carry out the GBF. This includes closing a $700 billion annual gap in funding for biodiversity and making sure financial support aligns with the GBF and the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity.

The 23 targets are grouped into three areas:
1. Reducing dangers to biodiversity.
2. Meeting human needs through sustainable use and sharing benefits.
3. Tools and methods to implement and support the goals.

"Target 3" is known as the "30 by 30" target. It follows the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020. It aims for governments to protect 30% of Earth’s land and water by 2030. Countries must stop funding harmful activities, like mining and overfishing. Protected areas should expand based on where key species live. This target includes Indigenous lands as conservation areas but has been criticized for not fully recognizing Indigenous and community-led conservation efforts.

At the same time, the idea of "nature-positive" became a global goal to protect the environment. It aims to stop and reverse nature loss by 2030 and restore it by 2050. The GBF also seeks to halt biodiversity loss and begin recovery. Since the GBF started, "nature-positive" has helped businesses and governments focus on protecting nature to meet the framework’s goals.

Some people say the targets are unclear because they lack specific ways to measure progress or hold countries accountable. Challenges may arise because the GBF’s goals are not detailed enough, leading to uneven implementation. David Obura, Chair of the IPBES, warned that the framework might not work well if countries ignore the main causes of biodiversity loss to focus only on meeting specific, achievable targets.

Implications

The Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) is expected to create the following changes, as reported by the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative:

• Companies will be required to share information about how their actions affect nature and biodiversity.
• Banks and financial institutions must invest in projects that help nature recover, such as restoring forests or wetlands.
• Protecting biodiversity will become a required part of how companies are managed and governed.
• Central banks and their leaders must consider the dangers of losing nature as a key part of their responsibilities.
• The GBF will help countries around the world agree on policies to protect nature and ecosystems.

The GBF is not a legally required agreement, but it is expected to influence many countries as they create new plans and rules to meet their goals. For example, more areas will be protected, and money spent on harmful activities like fishing will be used for better purposes.

At the COP16 meeting, progress on national biodiversity goals was reviewed. By the end of the summit, only 44 out of 196 countries had created new plans to protect biodiversity.

In May 2024, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and China started the Kunming Biodiversity Fund. China pledged $230 million to support projects in developing countries that help achieve GBF goals.

In 2024, Boran and Pettorelli wrote a paper in the Journal of Applied Ecology, stating that the Kunming-Montreal Framework should work better with the Paris Agreement.