James Reed, Jos Barlow, Rachel Carmenta, Sima Fakheran, Amy Ickowitz, Terry Sunderland

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework marked a renewed commitment to address the biodiversity crisis. This framework, consisting of four goals and 23 targets which are intended to guide conservation efforts for the next thirty years, displays an enhanced level of ambition compared to its predecessor. However, the pursuit of multilateral agreements is dependent upon national pledges, and national pledges are of little worth without subsequent sub-national action. We assess the currently submitted National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans of member countries to determine the extent to which they align with the bold ambition of the GBF. We find a lack of consistency between the GBF and country submissions across many targets, with the notable exception being target 3 – to increase protected area coverage to 30% by 2030. Reflecting on the current submissions, we draw on recent developments and our own experience to outline key considerations that could help guide GBF implementation efforts. We caution against cherry-picking of specific targets to suit political-economic agendas, highlight that an overemphasis on Target 3 alone will not lead to the desired state of living in harmony with nature, and that to do so actually requires a more holistic and inclusive approach to conservation.