With global biodiversity targets falling behind schedule, Armenia’s hosting of COP17 highlights how preserving natural habitats can strengthen climate resilience and support progress towards the 2030 conservation goals.
As COP17 opens in Yerevan, Armenian meteorologist Gagik Surenyan highlights the role of forest conservation and ecosystem protection in addressing the climate crisis.
Protecting forests, restoring degraded ecosystems and safeguarding biodiversity are essential to combating climate change, a senior Armenian meteorologist has said, as delegates from around the world gather in Yerevan for the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP17).
Gagik Surenyan, Deputy Director of Armenia’s Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center, said the conference presents a significant opportunity for Armenia to strengthen environmental protection and advance conservation efforts that could benefit both biodiversity and the climate.
Speaking to Armenian news agency Armenpress, Surenyan emphasised that decisions and programmes emerging from the summit could contribute to protecting the country’s forests, wildlife and plant species while helping address broader environmental challenges.
He expressed optimism that the gathering of international experts, policymakers and conservation specialists would encourage practical measures to preserve natural ecosystems and prevent further environmental degradation.
Surenyan highlighted the close relationship between biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation, stressing that protecting existing forests and expanding forest cover could make a meaningful contribution to addressing global warming.
He noted that climate change is driven not only by greenhouse gas emissions but also by deforestation, which contributes to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.
Forests play a critical role in regulating the global climate by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing carbon in trees, vegetation and soils. Deforestation releases some of this stored carbon while reducing the planet’s capacity to absorb future emissions.
Protecting forests and restoring degraded landscapes can therefore help limit global warming while preserving habitats, supporting wildlife and strengthening ecosystem resilience.
However, scientists emphasise that nature conservation must complement, rather than replace, rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, particularly those generated by burning fossil fuels.
The biodiversity summit comes at a crucial time for Armenia, a mountainous country increasingly exposed to climate-related risks.
Although Surenyan observed that climate change impacts are not always sharply felt in Armenia, international assessments indicate that the country faces growing threats from rising temperatures, droughts, water scarcity, floods and land degradation.
According to the World Bank, Armenia is particularly vulnerable to climate-related hazards, with changing weather patterns threatening agriculture, water resources, infrastructure and rural livelihoods. Strengthening ecosystem protection is therefore important for both climate adaptation and long-term environmental sustainability.
The meteorologist’s remarks come as the UN Biodiversity Conference, scheduled for October 19 to 30, brings governments, scientists, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, civil society organisations and environmental advocates together to assess global progress towards protecting nature.
A central focus of COP17 is the first global review of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022.
The landmark agreement established 23 targets for 2030, including conserving at least 30 percent of the world’s land, inland waters, coastal areas and oceans, restoring degraded ecosystems and reducing threats to biodiversity.
Target 8 specifically calls for minimising the impacts of climate change on biodiversity while strengthening ecosystem resilience through approaches that benefit both nature and people.
The framework recognises that biodiversity loss and climate change are interconnected crises requiring coordinated international action.
However, progress towards these commitments remains insufficient.
A new United Nations assessment, released ahead of COP17, found that nearly 90 percent of countries have established national biodiversity targets, but fewer than half of the assessed targets are on track to be achieved.
The findings underline the widening gap between international commitments and implementation, raising pressure on governments to accelerate conservation efforts, strengthen financing and translate biodiversity pledges into measurable results.
For Armenia, hosting COP17 provides an opportunity to bring international attention to the environmental challenges facing its forests, mountain ecosystems and wildlife while strengthening cooperation on conservation and sustainable development.
Surenyan’s observations also highlight the importance of recognising healthy ecosystems as natural climate solutions, particularly in countries facing increasing environmental pressures.
As negotiators in Yerevan review global progress towards the 2030 biodiversity targets, the conference underscores a fundamental message: tackling climate change and reversing biodiversity loss cannot be treated as separate priorities.
Protecting forests, restoring ecosystems and safeguarding wildlife can deliver significant benefits for climate resilience, environmental sustainability and human well-being. Yet achieving lasting results will require stronger national commitments, adequate financing and accelerated action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
With just four years remaining until 2030, COP17 offers governments an opportunity to move beyond promises and demonstrate that protecting nature is also an investment in a safer and more climate-resilient future.
