Biodiversity finance remains below global targets, report finds

The story in brief

What you need to know

• The framework’s headline ambition is at least US$200 billion a year from all sources by 2030. Its separate international public-finance goal rose from at least US$20 billion a year by 2025 to US$30 billion by 2030; these targets should not be conflated with one another.4
• CBD stocktake figures reported by Carbon Brief put cumulative finance mobilised over 2020–23 at US$186.4 billion, including US$17.7 billion from international public sources. The stocktake reportedly says the 2025 international public-finance milestone was likely missed, but warns against drawing firm conclusions from the totals at this stage.12
• The OECD’s estimate of US$74.9–92.4 billion a year for 2023–25 is an annual, all-source figure, while its estimate for international public finance is US$16.1 billion a year. The OECD reports increases in public domestic and international finance over periods it could compare, alongside continuing gaps and inconsistencies in reporting.3
• Two funding mechanisms have reported relatively modest commitments or contributions: by 30 June 2026, the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund had US$387.2 million in signed commitments, while the Cali Fund had received two contributions totalling US$6,000.1
• Views differ on how to mobilise more money. The International Chamber of Commerce advocates national finance plans, investable project pipelines and private investment, including blended finance and risk-sharing. This is a business-sector position, not an independent assessment of those approaches.5

Conservation context

Why this matters

The framework sets financial commitments intended to support its implementation, making both the volume of funding and the ability to track it important. The sources identify a gap against the targets, but differing measures mean that the scale of that gap is not settled by a single set of figures.134

The developing story

What happens next

COP17 opens in Yerevan on 19 October 2026. Questions for the meeting include how progress against the 2025 public-finance milestone will be assessed, whether countries will announce new public contributions or changes to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, and what rules or incentives might increase company contributions to the Cali Fund and improve access for Indigenous peoples and local communities.1

Established evidence

What we know

• The CBD’s resource-mobilisation decision sets the framework’s finance targets.4
• The CBD stocktake reports cumulative 2020–23 totals, while the OECD provides annual estimates for 2023–25; their different scopes and methods limit direct comparison.123
• The OECD identifies gaps and inconsistencies in biodiversity-finance reporting, even as it records increases in some public-finance measures.3
• The reported fund figures give a snapshot of signed commitments to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund and contributions received by the Cali Fund as of 30 June 2026.1

Open questions

What we don't know

• The available stocktake figures do not yet provide a conclusive assessment of whether the 2025 international public-finance target was met.12
• Because the CBD and OECD figures cover different periods, datasets and definitions, they do not establish one directly comparable estimate of the shortfall.123
• It remains unclear whether countries will announce new, predictable public contributions or changes to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund at COP17.1
• The reporting raises open questions about what rules or incentives could increase company contributions to the Cali Fund and improve access to finance for Indigenous peoples and local communities.1

Source coverage

Read the reporting