A man is sitting at an irrigation canal near Qena on the Nile, Egypt.

    Background New biodiversity targets for 2030

    The most important international agreement on biodiversity is the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). It entered into force in 1993. So far, 196 countries (including the EU) have acceded to the Convention (as at end of 2022). In December 2022, the parties to the Convention met in Montréal, Canada, in order to give direction to their joint implementation of the Convention for the period up to 2030 through a new Global Biodiversity Framework.

    Closing Session of the 15th World Nature Conference in Montreal

    Press release 19 December 2022 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity creates strong new basis for global efforts to combat destruction of nature and biodiversity loss

    In 2010, the 10th Conference of the Parties took place in Nagoya, Japan. The Strategic Plan (External link) adopted there contained 20 specific global biodiversity conservation targets (Aichi Targets) that were to be achieved by 2020. However, the results have been sobering: not one of the 20 targets has been fully achieved, and only six have been partially achieved.

    At COP15 in Montréal, the parties to the Convention adopted a new Global Biodiversity Framework through which they commit themselves to implementing the Convention in the course of the next ten years. The conference had to be postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was finally held in December 2022. The framework agreed on at the conference (External link) is hoped to help reverse trends so that the world embarks on a path towards nature-friendly economies and societies.


    Core area of German development policy

    In the negotiations on the Global Biodiversity Framework, the German government called for

    • placing 30 per cent of the world's land and sea areas under protection,
    • making global supply chains and our consumption patterns more sustainable,
    • enhancing awareness of the importance of biodiversity for global sustainable development,
    • using biodiversity sustainably and ensuring that developing countries will financially benefit from such use,
    • restoring destroyed and degraded ecosystems,
    • ensuring that biodiversity conservation and climate action are addressed in combination, and
    • giving attention to human rights and to the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities in all biodiversity conservation efforts.

    Biodiversity conservation is a core area of Germany's development policy. The BMZ is already supporting the conservation of over 650 protected areas covering a total area of more than two million square kilometres – an area six times the size of Germany.

    Since 2013, the BMZ has been providing more than 400 million euros a year in support of the conservation and sustainable use of forests, oceans, wetlands and other ecosystems.

    In 2021, the BMZ increased its investments in conserving biodiversity to 600 million euros, an all-time high. This means that the German government is one of the biggest donors for biodiversity conservation worldwide. With that funding, the BMZ finances a large number of projects and initiatives that help to protect the world's vital natural resources.

    German biodiversity conservation activities

    Black lechwe in Bangweulu Wetlands National Park, Zambia

    Legacy Landscapes Fund

    Three quarters of the most biodiverse regions in the world are in developing countries and emerging economies. Many countries lack the financial resources to fund the protection of these areas. The Legacy Landscapes Fund closes this financial gap.

    Oceanic whitetip shark in company of some pilot fish

    Blue Action Fund

    The aim of the Blue Action Fund is to improve protection of the world's oceans and coasts and thereby stem the dramatic loss of marine biodiversity. Local development is to be fostered and sustainable lifestyles are to be promoted.

    Elephant at a waterhole in Khaudum National Park in Namibia

    Partnership against wildlife crime in Africa and Asia

    Effective suppression of poaching and the illegal trade in wildlife products requires a coordinated approach by policymakers, civil society and the private sector across continents and national borders.

    Logo: ABS Initiative

    ABS Initiative

    Since 2006, the Access and Benefit-Sharing Capacity Development Initiative (ABS Initiative) has supported the negotiation process for a binding international legal framework for the implementation of the third objective of the Convention on Biological Diversity – the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilisation of natural resources.

    Mangrove forest in India

    Save Our Mangroves Now

    Mangrove forests are vitally important for the climate, biodiversity and food security. In order to improve the protection of these valuable plants and their habitats, the BMZ has launched the initiative “Save Our Mangroves Now!”

    to the overview page on biodiversity

    As at: 02/11/2022