A useless agreement: 196 countries failed the nature restoration plan (GBF)

A global destruction of wildlife is taking place in the world! The pace of ecosystem destruction is horrifying. Over the last 50 years, only about 27% of animals remain (according to meta-research by global scientists), and it is precisely genetic diversity that is being destroyed — the most dangerous loss, the one that took the planet millions of years of evolution to achieve! And in order to at least partially restore the lost species, it will take no less than 5–7 million years of evolutionary history.

This is what we are dooming the planet to!

But are there any real positive changes? Studying the global destruction of the biosphere by humans, I do not see any projects that would at least somewhat slow down the dying of nature, let alone stop and prevent further ecocide.

Starting from small organizations that routinely perform the same functions (planting forests in rows or trying to save one link in ecosystems, when the entire biological chain needs protection) and ending with interstate alliances.

It is precisely about these states that I want to talk to you today.

On December 19, 2022, at the UN Conference on Biological Diversity (COP15) in Montreal, countries adopted the “Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework” (GBF).

This agreement was called “historic” due to its scale, because previously states had not taken such global steps to save nature! Imagine: 196 countries of the world immediately signed the document and undertook to fulfill the goals of the program for the restoration of biological diversity by 2030.

Let’s briefly discuss the goals of this agreement.

The countries prepared 4 main goals and 23 specific tasks which, in theory, should be aimed at slowing the loss of biodiversity (animals and plants) and, accordingly, restoring ecosystems. By 2030, they were supposed to protect 30% of the planet's land and oceans (called “30×30”), restore 30% of degraded ecosystems, reduce pesticide and chemical emissions by 50%, and also reduce global food loss by 50%. We can also note ambitious goals such as ending subsidies for production activities that harm nature, funding environmental protection measures in the amount of 200 billion dollars a year, and controlling overconsumption of resources.

I am closely monitoring how the implementation of this interstate agreement is progressing, what is actually being done, and on what scale!

In other words, the countries of the world perfectly understand the scale of the ongoing ecocide. And in 2022, they concluded this agreement, which they called the most ambitious project for nature protection in the history of humanity.

The only thing is that the GBF agreement is just a framework document, and the countries themselves must develop national strategies, revise subsidies (which means revising their economies) and even independently control the implementation of the stated points.

A long four-year consultation preceded the adoption of this agreement: countries prepared, discussed details, looked for compromises. And already in 2022, this “historic” document was adopted!

There are two pieces of news! One is good and the other is bad.

• The good news is that since 2022, the whole world has recognized the global destruction of biological systems and the necessity of urgent measures to solve these problems. A real threat has already been created for ourselves, for modern civilization.

  
  
• The bad news is that the entire plan is merely a “recommendation,” without transparent control, without a single governance body, and without a real strategic plan. And in the years that have already passed, I personally have not seen any large-scale actions to protect the world's ecosystems, but I have seen how even more dangerous laws are being adopted at a rapid pace, threatening the last refuges of wildlife.

Since we are fighting for nature and have now begun to take global steps in our activities, I am very closely monitoring every movement of such major interstate agreements.

On February 17, 2025, a scientific review by independent scientists was published under the title: “National plan ambitions still do not match bold international commitments for protection and restoration.” The experts try to speak gently, but having studied their work, I see that they are extremely dissatisfied with what is happening and do not know how to convey to people that the “global historic plan of states” is pure window dressing.

The thing is, the scientific community is now very tied to general agendas, to politics. Sometimes, even simply expressing a personal opinion can instantly cost you your status, your job, and recognition in “scientific circles.”

So! What do the specialists say in the scientific review?

The results are disappointing. Only 36 out of 196 countries (which is less than a quarter of those who signed the agreement) have done anything: from 2022 to 2025, they managed to prepare internal state plans for nature conservation. In other words, no one has started implementation yet: only 36 countries over the past years have prepared “future plans for future plans.”

Moreover, the presented plans are complete nonsense. Scientists say that in addition to their inefficiency, countries have fallen critically behind in achieving any goals at all for the restoration of nature! The situation continues to worsen, ecosystems are being destroyed, and no problems are really being solved.

At the same time, of the 36 countries that at least prepared plans, they removed all the most important points from the previously outlined goals and left only some. For example, Italy committed to restoring only large areas of degraded territories, where it is already visually clear that urgent measures are needed. Australia will restore only “priority degraded areas,” meaning those that are economically efficient and justified.

Scientists also assessed how many countries established a specific percentage of protected areas. Thus, of the 36 countries, only 22 mentioned how much they plan to restore, but only 14 of them committed to protecting at least 30% of their territories in accordance with the original agreement.

As a result, from the “historic project in the entire history of humanity,” we have come to the point that in the three years of the agreement’s existence, only 14 countries are actually ready to follow the plan.

Scientists in their review also point out that according to the agreement signed by the countries, protected areas should contribute to the conservation of biodiversity and cover the most valuable areas of nature — the very “refuges” we constantly talk about.

Yet the countries did not even mention them in their national plans. This means that their efforts will have little impact on the global destruction of nature!

Scientists particularly focus on Australia. The fact is that it has established itself as a leader among all the countries participating in the agreement for nature conservation. But according to the scientific review, Australia’s plans are not impressive at all. The proposed plan for solving problems and restoring ecosystems looks like a classic bureaucratic “formality,” similar to those we receive from government agencies when we try to solve environmental issues.

Simply put, Australia stated: “We will restore and protect only the priority natural areas that we see fit. Thank you all!”

Let’s sum up.

We see the degradation of all state systems in the world, which, in pursuit of short-term profits, have driven themselves into dependence on eternal competition and constant income growth. They simply cannot stop!

Although everyone understands that an uncontrollable ecological collapse is already approaching, which will ultimately destroy our modern civilization as well. Solving these problems is not a matter of “want or don’t want,” it is a matter of survival for all of us, our future generations! After all, our own habitat is being destroyed.

And the “historic plan” signed in 2022 turned out to be the same old defect of global governance: fragmented, with no foundation, and without the slightest chance of success.

That is why we, comrades, have developed the Concept of Total Ecological Peace Territories (TEPT) and are now preparing a global project to bring a real plan to prevent the further destruction of the biosphere to the whole world!

Our Concept implies the forced withdrawal of the last remaining wilderness areas into global protected territories. But without changes in the governance system, without changes in state policies and without the determination of countries to cooperate (as well as without abandoning competition and discord), no large-scale projects are possible.

Can we achieve change?

I believe that we certainly can! But we need to act now. Let’s do something loud, something great, and try to achieve truly large-scale protection of nature around the world!

And the foundation of our struggle will be the Concept of Total Ecological Peace Territories (TEPT). Nature needs refuges from humans!

© PAVEL PASHKOV