Rare at COP17

Scaling community-led solutions to deliver the Global Biodiversity Framework  

From October 19 – 30, Rare will join 20,000+ government officials, civil society leaders, and conservation practitioners in Yerevan, Armenia for the 17th UN Biodiversity Conference.  

COP17 is the first global review of progress since countries adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) – a critical test of whether commitments are turning into results. COP17 will confront the gap between commitment and delivery: strengthening synergies across climate and biodiversity action, accelerating progress towards 30×30, the recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ rights and governance, and closing the biodiversity finance gap that stands between ambition and impact. 

Rare’s engagements at COP17 will focus on the strength of community-led solutions to address conservation challenges. Communities around the world are already designing and delivering the conservation solutions the Framework calls for. COP17 is an opportunity for these solutions to be moved from the margins of the agenda to the center of how the world finances and scales conservation.  

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Let’s Connect

Want to get in touch for COP17? Email Tanmatra Bhanti at tbhanti@rare.org. 

Closing the biodiversity finance gap 

Today we face a tremendous gap between the funds we need for conservation in the world’s most vulnerable places, and the actual money currently being invested. Philanthropy is essential but falls short of what is required. At COP17, Rare will showcase innovative solutions that bring together public, private, and philanthropic capital and channel it toward the frontlines of conservation and climate change. 

Advancing 30×30 for Coastal Communities 

As countries continue to make commitments to protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030 (30×30), there is a gap between ambition and effective action. Based on the recently launched Ocean Protection Gap Report, 26% of terrestrial and inland water areas would be protected if all existing government pledges were ⁠fulfilled by 2030, but only 12% of marine ecosystems would be covered. 

For marine protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) to be effective, they need to be grounded in community leadership, social legitimacy, and effective fisheries outcomes for those who depend on it the most. At COP17, Rare will show how community-led coastal governance approaches can contribute to national 30×30 commitments while simultaneously advancing sustainable fisheries, food security, climate resilience, and local livelihoods. 

Using biodiversity to advance community resilience

Biodiversity conservation is a critical component to building resilience in communities, especially those that already face the most impacts from climate change – despite the fact that they contribute least to the causes. By leading with a community first lens, scaling adaptation and resilience contributes to more than just climate and biodiversity goals and extends to protecting livelihoods, traditions, and ways of living. 

Climate and biodiversity are inherently linked. Even with two different COPs, these interconnected issues cannot be separated from one another. As such, COP17 outcomes will lay the foundation for the upcoming UN Climate Conference (COP31) in Anatalya, Türkiye.  

Events and Engagements

Monday, October 19, 2026 

• Deep Blue: Financing the Future of Ocean Conservation, 17:30-19:00, Ocean Pavilion: At this session, Rare, ORRAA and Levoca will launch Deep Blue, a new global marketplace for outcomes-based ocean finance. The founding partners will share how the Deep Blue marketplace will operate, what it will finance first, and what has already been proven in the water. 

Wednesday, October 21, 2026 

• Recognizing Conservation Beyond MPAs: Marine OECMs as a Pathway for Effective and Equitable Target 3 Implementation in Indonesia, tbc time/location. This side event will explore the strategic role of marine OECMs in supporting Indonesia’s implementation of Target 3 and complement formal MPAs. This is particularly relevant for Indonesia, where many marine and coastal areas are managed through local, community-based, customary, fisheries, small island or multi-use governance arrangements. 

Thursday, October 22, 2026 

• Advancing 30×30 pathways nationally and globally through community-led coastal fisheries management, nearshore exclusion zones, and OECMs, 18:15, Talin – Side-event Room 1: As countries advance 30×30, growing attention is being placed on the rights-based implementation challenge of establishing marine protected areas and OECMs while maintaining social legitimacy, tenure security, and fisheries outcomes.  This side event will explore how effective community fisheries governance – from inshore exclusion zones, preferential access for small-scale fishers, locally managed marine areas, and OECMs –  can strengthen biodiversity outcomes while securing tenure rights, sustaining fisheries, enhancing climate resilience, and empowering local stewardship. https://www.cbd.int/side-events/7806  

Friday, October 23, 2026 

• Making 30×30 count: From participation to credible, equitable and lasting marine OECMs in Asia, 10:30–11:45, Ocean Pavilion: Drawing on experiences from communities, governments, researchers and conservation organizations across Asia, this session will examine practical approaches for moving from participation as a principle to participation in practice. It will explore how participatory governance can support credible, equitable, and lasting marine OECMs, and identify lessons that can inform Target 3 implementation across the region. Co-hosted with Reef Check Malaysia.

Rare’s Delegation to CBD COP17 2026 

• Michael Thungari, Bupati of the Sangihe Islands, Indonesia; Coastal 500 Representative 

• Caleb McClennen, Ph.D., President 

• Rocky Tirona Sanchez, SVP, Regional Programs 

• John Whalen, VP, Innovative Finance  

• Hari Kushardanto, VP, Rare Indonesia 

• Dennis Calvan, Director, Policy & Government Engagement, Rare Indonesia 

• Ray Chandra Purnama, Director, Policy, Rare Indonesia 

• Tanmatra​ Bhanti, Senior Manager, Global Policy 

• Amber Bjerre, Manager, Global Policy & Networks