Nigeria, France push stronger leadership to hit 30% nature protection by 2030
At CBD COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia, Nigeria and France — co-chairs of the 123-nation High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People — demanded stronger political leadership, increased financing, and concrete commitments to achieve the global 30×30 target: protecting 30% of land and seas by 2030. With only four years left, coalition representative Charles Nicolai warned that "where leadership falters, implementation slows."
France leveraged its G7 presidency to advance marine protected area management, while Nigeria led West African advocacy for a coordinated approach to expanding protected areas on land and at sea. Nigeria's CBD focal point, Sikeade Egbuwalo, outlined six non-negotiable principles: collective responsibility, transparency, effective management, community participation, local implementation, and adequate financing. "Quality matters just as much as quantity. It is not enough to draw lines on a map and declare victory," she said, stressing that protected areas must be ecologically connected, well-governed, and include meaningful roles for Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
Financing remains the critical gap, especially for developing nations. "Ambition without resources will not get us very far," Egbuwalo said, calling for accessible, timely funding. The coalition plans its first 30×30 Global Summit in 2027 to assess progress. For Nigeria, delivering on this commitment means translating diplomatic leadership into domestic conservation outcomes — securing funding, enforcing protected area management, and ensuring communities benefit from, not just bear the cost of, biodiversity protection.