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Plantlife will be at CBD COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia, from 19–30 October 2026, championing wild plants and fungi and sharing practical solutions for delivering the Global Biodiversity Framework.
This year we are heading to COP17 – the third time we have participated in the conference – to give plants and fungi a voice on the global stage.
Here’s everything you need to know about COP, what we’ll be doing there and why this moment in time is a critical one for nature.
COP stands for the Conference of the Parties, and the 17 represents the 17th meeting which will take place between 19 October and 30 October 2026.
These meetings came about after the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, and 3 different conferences were set up: UNFCCC Climate COP, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Biodiversity COP (which is the one we are attending this October) and UNCCD Desertification COP.
CBD COP brings together world leaders and governments, scientists and environmental organisations, indigenous peoples and local communities, to work together on nature conservation across the world.
COP17 comes 4 years after the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was agreed. It will be a crucial opportunity to assess collective progress towards its 23 targets and accelerate action before 2030.
Discussions at the conference will draw on evidence about progress in implementing the Global Biodiversity Framework. As CBD Executive Secretary Astrid Schomaker said: “We now have, for the first time with the Global Report, a shared evidence base on how we are doing in implementing the Framework, but evidence is only valuable if it informs action.” Read the full statement.
The review recognises unprecedented engagement, innovation and collaboration, but warns that implementation must accelerate rapidly. COP17 must turn evidence into practical action for species, habitats and people.
Our programme will focus on three priorities: launching the Global Strategy for Fungal Conservation, welcoming delegates to the Fungi Hub, and showing how Important Plant Areas can help countries meet their biodiversity commitments.
At COP17, we will bring our largest delegation to date and will include Plantlife CEO Nicola Hutchinson and our Head of Global Rachel Hoffmann.
Throughout the conference we will work with partners to put wild plants and fungi at the heart of delivering the Global Biodiversity Framework, which will undergo its first global review during the conference.
To arrange a meeting with us in Yerevan, contact us here.
Fungi underpin life on Earth, but remain overlooked in conservation and research. Only 10% of fungal diversity has been formally described, fewer than 1% of described fungi have been assessed on the IUCN Red List, and 30% of those assessed are at risk of extinction. Meanwhile, 90% of mycorrhizal biodiversity hotspots remain unprotected.
Urgent action is needed to close knowledge gaps, strengthen the evidence base and support effective policy, management and conservation for fungi.
The Global Strategy for Fungal Conservation is the missing piece to scale up and urgently deliver global action for fungi.
The Fungi Hub will be a welcoming space for the conservation community, policymakers and anyone interested in fungi to exchange knowledge, share experiences, and build connections.
Visitors can meet mycologists and other fungi experts, join games and activities, win fungi-themed prizes, and pick up one of our sought-after fungi badges. Look out for signs around the conference centre!
Celebrating a decade of Important Plant Areas (IPAs) in Armenia!
Over 10 years, Armenia has identified 32 IPA sites, covering almost 13% of the country’s land and home to 198 priority plant species, including:
Read more about IPAs in Armenia here :
Read the 2-pager produced for CoP 17 here.
At COP17, Plantlife and the Global Fungal Conservation Network will launch the Global Strategy for Fungal Conservation (GSFC)—the first global strategy of its kind for fungi. This milestone will help ensure that fungi are recognised and included in biodiversity action worldwide.
The GSFC will offer practical, voluntary actions aligned with the Global Biodiversity Framework. It will help governments and partners integrate fungi into national biodiversity strategies, restoration programmes, sustainable-use frameworks and climate action plans.
Come and join us at the Armenian Pavilion, Blue Zone, for: ‘Launch of the Global Strategy for Fungal Conservation: translating biodiversity commitments into effective action’
On Wednesday, 21 October, from 18:00 – 19:00 (Yerevan time, UTC+4).
Plantlife staff will be joined by colleagues from Armenia’s Institute of Botany and the Global Partnership for Plant Conservation to showcase a decade of IPAs in Armenia and their conservation success. We will also show how developing an IPA programme can help Parties meet several GBF targets and scale up much-needed conservation action for plants.
Follow Plantlife on LinkedIn for updates from CBD COP17. To learn more about our work, get involved or arrange a meeting with our delegation in Yerevan, contact us here.
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