May 22 marks the International Day for Biological Diversity, a date that commemorates the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992. This international treaty, ratified in Argentina through Law 24.375, seeks to address and reverse the global biodiversity loss crisis.
According to the United Nations, one million species worldwide are at risk of extinction, and 75% of terrestrial ecosystems and two-thirds of marine ecosystems have been significantly altered by human activity.
In Argentina – a country with a wide variety of environments, ranging from the Gran Chaco, the Patagonian Forest, and the Antarctic Circle – the biodiversity crisis is also reflected in the ongoing loss of ecosystems. Between 2022 and 2024, more than 550,000 hectares of native forest were lost, according to a 2024 monitoring report conducted by the National Secretariat of Tourism and Environment. Likewise, between 2022 and 2025, wildfires affected more than 2.4 million hectares impacting native forests, grasslands, and shrublands, according to the National Native Forest Monitoring System.
In response to this context, the Convention has adopted the theme “Act locally to create a global impact,” highlighting the importance of linking local initiatives with the 23 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) for 2030. This global framework, adopted in 2022 during the COP15 on Biodiversity in Montreal, Canada, promotes a comprehensive approach involving all sectors of society.
In addition, for the first time, the Convention has opened an official process allowing non-state actors to report their commitments and contributions. In other words, it creates a space for the voices of local communities – where actions to reverse the biodiversity loss crisis are being advanced every day – to be heard and considered in decision-making, as well as in the review of targets that will take place during the COP17 on Biodiversity, from October 19 to 30, in Armenia.
“Halting and reversing biodiversity loss requires aligning global efforts with local action. To achieve this, it is essential to strengthen the connection between public policies and the many initiatives being developed across local communities,” explained Ana Di Pangracio, Deputy Executive Director of the Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN).
“It is expected that COP17 will place a strong focus on the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework, the identification of gaps, obstacles, and challenges related to financing, governance, public participation, and the integration of biodiversity into sectoral policies,” Di Pangracio added.
At FARN, work has advanced on the identification, systematization, and formal submission of 14 commitments that reflect sustained efforts in biodiversity, environmental governance, environmental justice, and capacity building. These contributions were submitted through the CBD’s Online Reporting Platform. Recently, these commitments were approved and published by the Convention, validating their formal consideration as contributions toward achieving global biodiversity targets.
Submitting a commitment does not mean creating new actions; rather, it involves systematizing and reporting existing work, projects, lines of action, or advocacy processes that demonstrably contribute to one or more targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework.
The fact that States have enabled a formal process within the Convention for non-state actors to submit their contributions marks a significant shift from previous experiences, such as the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, the global biodiversity goals that guided international action between 2011 and 2020, where these contributions did not have an institutionalized reporting channel.
“This progress not only recognizes the value of the actions already being carried out by multiple sectors, but also opens a concrete opportunity to build more inclusive, participatory, and effective biodiversity governance on the road to 2030,” Di Pangracio concluded.