From science to action: Advancing the Global Biodiversity Framework at SBSTTA-27

By Murillo Adelaida Leon

As the world’s biodiversity losses continue, the need for evidence-based action and cross-sector collaboration has never been more urgent. Biodiversity is fundamental to building climate-resilient, sustainable food, land, and water systems, and to maintain the ecological functions that sustain human well-being.

This week, the 27th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-27) is taking place in Panama City, as one of the key preparatory milestones on the road to COP17. During the meeting, countries are taking stock of progress in implementing the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) and identify pathways to accelerate action.
SBSTTA-27, together with the new Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j) (focused on Indigenous Peoples and local communities), represents the most comprehensive review process in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) since COP15.

Bringing together scientists, policymakers, and stakeholders from across the globe, SBSTTA-27 aims to deliver science-based recommendations to guide GBF implementation and inform decisions for COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia, from 19 to 30 October 2026.

For the CGIAR Multifunctional Landscapes (MFL) Science Program, this meeting represents both a scientific and strategic opportunity to strengthen its role and contributions toward integrated, landscape-based approaches on the road to COP17. It also provides a valuable space to actively listen to the needs and knowledge gaps expressed by Parties, ensuring that our research remains aligned with global priorities.

A global review of progress: turning commitments into measurable change

With less than 5 years left to meet he 23 targets of KMGBF for 2030, SBSTTA-27 is hosting the first global review of progress towards these targets.

Discussions in Panama are assessing the state of national biodiversity strategies, drawing on the more than 140 updated plans already submitted by Parties, as highlighted by the CBD Secretariat during the global media briefing. The session aims to also examine the proposed structure of the upcoming Global Review Report, which will lay out the scientific and policy foundations for decisions expected at COP17.

For scientists and policymakers, the review will be an opportunity not only to celebrate advances but also to identify where acceleration is most needed, including gaps in finance, capacity, and innovation to deliver on the GBF’s promises.

Interlinkages between climate and biodiversity

A recurring theme at SBSTTA-27 is the interconnectedness of biodiversity, climate, and human well-being. As noted by experts during the pre-SBSTTA briefing, “climate change and biodiversity loss are “two sides of the same coin.” Degraded ecosystems cannot provide the regulation, resilience, or services that climate stability requires; and in turn, climate impacts are accelerating biodiversity loss.

The scientific evidence is clear: biodiversity is critical for the long-term sustainability of food systems, and human health. Monocultures and genetic uniformity leave food systems dangerously exposed to climate and market shocks. Restoring ecosystem diversity, from genes and species to landscapes, strengthens resilience and ensures that agricultural systems continue to nourish people and the planet.

Discussions at SBSTTA-27 are also expected to explore options for enhancing policy coherence and cooperation across the Rio Conventions, including to identifying and maximizing potential synergies through the national biodiversity strategies and action plans and relevant national targets, and ensure synergies with other national planning processes, including nationally determined contributions, national adaptation plans and land degradation neutrality targets.

The MFL Program can contribute directly to CBD17, showcasing how multifunctional landscapes can deliver co-benefits for climate adaptation, biodiversity restoration, land degradation and equitable livelihoods. Through its work on soil health, agroecological transitions, and landscape finance, MFL offers practical models for the integrated, nature-positive approaches that the GBF envisions.

Agriculture

SBSTTA is addressing biodiversity and agriculture for the first time since the adoption of the KMGBF, offering an important opportunity for Parties to reaffirm their commitment to implementing the Plan of Action (2020–2030) for the International Initiative for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Soil Biodiversity. This discussion is expected to help bridge existing scientific and institutional gaps in understanding and managing soil biodiversity.

The draft recommendation encourages Parties to integrate the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of soil biodiversity into their National Biodiversity Strategies And Action Plans (NBSAPs), including through participatory, biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning processes.

Elevating indigenous peoples and local communities

In parallel to SBSTTA-27, Panama will also host the first meeting of the new Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j), a historic development in global environmental governance. For the first time, a permanent body within the CBD will be dedicated to indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs), ensuring that their rights, traditional knowledge, and contributions are embedded in biodiversity decision-making.

This new body builds on a landmark decision adopted at COP16 in Cali, which established a Programme of Work on Article 8(j) to advance the role of IPLCs in implementing the GBF and achieving the three objectives of the Convention:

1. the conservation of biological diversity,
2. the sustainable use of its components, and
3. the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources.

This meeting intends to address the modus operandi for the new body and provide guidance on integrating traditional knowledge into the GBF’s global monitoring and reporting systems. This institutional milestone represents a transformative step towards inclusive biodiversity governance, ensuring that those who live closest to biodiversity are empowered to shape its future.

Conclusion: From global frameworks to local landscapes

SBSTTA-27 is more than a technical meeting, it is a call of collective will and collaboration. As CGIAR continues to support the processes of the Convention on Biological Biodiversity, including the KMGBF, the MFL Program is committed to ensuring that landscapes are recognized as the living interface between biodiversity, climate, and food systems.