Justine Bell-James, James Watson

Almost 200 nations have made bold commitments to halt biodiversity loss as signatories to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (‘GBF’). The effective achievement of the GBF relies on domestic targets and actions, reflected in National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (‘NBSAPs’). NBSAPS are an integral feature of the Convention on Biological Diversity (‘CBD’) framework, and signatory nations were requested to submit revised NBSAPs prior to COP-16 incorporating the GBF goals and targets. Here we review NBSAPs of the 36 nations that submitted prior to COP-16 and assess their commitments to implementing Target 2 (the 30% restoration target) and Target 3 (the ‘30 x 30’ protection target). By first breaking these targets into their constituent elements, and assessing the detailed wording of each NBSAP, we discover that no nation has created a plan that meets all the requirements – and overall ambitions - of these two targets. With five years remaining until the intended realisation of the GBF, countries will need to increase both their ambition and action if Earth’s biodiversity crisis is to be abated.