For over three decades, the International Convention on Biodiversity has brought together governments and civil society to protect and preserve what the United Nations describes as “the living fabric of our planet.” This year’s gathering, taking place in Armenia from Oct. 19 to 30, is a sobering assessment of the mending that’s taken place so far.

The 23 targets set at a previous session include extending conservation protections to 30% of the world’s land and water areas, restoring degraded ecosystems, and recovering threatened species – and doing all this in tandem with longtime or Indigenous human inhabitants of those areas.

To date, 90% of countries have established biodiversity goals. And “implementation is underway across all targets,” according to the International Institute for Sustainable Development. Technology transfers and scientific cooperation are taking place. Deforestation in the Amazon has fallen.…