World leaders, diplomats and biodiversity experts have gathered in Yerevan, Armenia, for COP17, the United Nations biodiversity conference, amid mounting concerns that countries are falling short of global targets to protect nature and unresolved disputes over funding. The 17th Conference of the Parties is the first major assessment of progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022. The agreement aims to protect 30% of the world’s land and sea by 2030. The climate-focused COP31 is scheduled to begin on November 9 in Antalya, Turkey. Although global land protection is...