COP17 biodiversity conference: South Africa wants action, not talk

The United Nations’ COP17 biodiversity conference starts on Monday, 19 October, and South Africa is heading there with a clear message.

Diagnosing the nature crisis is no longer enough.

Instead, countries need the money and tools to fix it.

And time is running out to meet the world’s 2030 targets.

Officially called the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, COP17 takes place in Yerevan, Armenia, from 19 to 30 October 2026.

Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Narend Singh will lead South Africa’s negotiating team.

WHAT IS THE COP17 BIODIVERSITY CONFERENCE?

At COP17, countries meet to discuss how to protect the world’s plants, animals and ecosystems.

This year, according to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), the conference will also conduct the first global review of progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Countries adopted that framework in 2022, with the goal of halting and reversing nature loss by 2030.

THE WORLD IS OFF TRACK

However, the review comes at a worrying time.

According to a draft global progress report, countries are far off track to meet the 2030 deadline.

In fact, they have made significant progress in only one of the 23 targets.

WHAT SOUTH AFRICA WANTS FROM COP17

Singh outlined South Africa’s position at a DFFE briefing on Monday, 12 October.

“COP17 cannot be another conference that diagnoses the biodiversity crisis without equipping countries to act,” he said.

For that reason, its key priorities at the talks include:

• Biodiversity finance: Funding for developing countries that is adequate, predictable and accessible, without adding to their debt.
• Implementation support: Practical help for countries to turn their commitments into action.
• Digital sequence information: Clear rules for sharing genetic data from plants and animals.
• Access and benefit-sharing: Fair benefits for countries and communities when others use their biodiversity, for example in medicine or cosmetics.

SOUTH AFRICA’S OWN BIODIVERSITY PLAN

Meanwhile, South Africa is finalising its own revised National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) for 2026 to 2035.

Once complete, it will serve as the country’s main framework for meeting its global biodiversity commitments.

In May, a national consultative conference helped shape the plan. It brought together more than 400 delegates from government, civil society, academia, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, youth and the private sector.

WHY COP17 MATTERS FOR SOUTH AFRICA

As one of the world’s megadiverse countries, South Africa is home to exceptional numbers of species found nowhere else.

For example, the country hosts the Cape Floristic Region, the smallest but richest of the world’s six floral kingdoms, which exists only in South Africa.

As a result, the stakes are high.

In recent months, a mass sardine die-off has hit the coast, and critically endangered African penguins have come under pressure.

On top of that, a global report has warned that Africa’s monitored wildlife populations have fallen by 80% since 1970.

That’s why the outcome of COP17 matters so much for South Africa’s wildlife.

WHAT DO YOU THINK SOUTH AFRICA SHOULD PRIORITISE TO PROTECT ITS WILDLIFE?