NEGOTIATING WITH NATURE: SA heads to COP17 with a practical plan to halt biodiversity loss
The clock is ticking for 196 countries to meet the ambitious targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. With that in mind, South Africa’s negotiating team is heading to the biodiversity COP, with practical implementation as a top priority.
South Africa's delegation is heading to COP17 with a clear focus on practical implementation of biodiversity targets, not just reporting on progress. The landmark 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) has 23 targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. However, a draft report released in July found that countries are far off track to meet the 2030 deadline, with only one target showing significant progress.
South Africa's Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Narend Singh, will lead the country's negotiating team at COP17. He emphasized the need for a fair implementation package that matches global ambition with finance, technology and capacity, ensuring equitable sharing of benefits from genetic resources. South Africa's state of biodiversity remains a top concern despite being among the top 10 countries for species richness.
The 2025 South African National Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi) assessment found that over half of assessed species are of concern and that ecosystem and species Red List Indexes show declining trends, indicating increasing threat levels. Major impacts cited are climate change, unsustainable land use, pollution and invasive alien species.
The DFFE will finalize the revised National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) for 2026 to 2035 to guide the country in implementing the GBF targets. South Africa will call for adequate, predictable, accessible and non-debt-creating biodiversity finance in line with developed countries' obligations under Article 20 of the convention.
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