YEREVAN: Nearly 200 nations struck hard-fought agreements at a UN biodiversity summit hoping to revive a flagging commitment to halt the destruction of nature by 2030.
Delegates cheered as the crucial texts were approved in overtime but the celebrations were tempered by acrimonious debates and limited progress on some of the toughest issues.
"And that's it. Perfect," said COP17 president Hambardzum Matevosyan in Armenia as he brought down the gavel on the documents, the final versions of which were not immediately available.
It marked a renewed push to meet a landmark 2030 commitment to protect the plants, animals and ecosystems that sustain life on Earth after countries fell short on their promise.
According to the United Nations, progress has lagged and key targets - including protecting 30 per cent of land and oceans, tackling pollution, and increasing money for conservation - are off track.
Over two bruising weeks in Yerevan, nations were urged to correct course to keep the pact alive.
In a draft agreement of one closely watched text, nations were urged to "accelerate" their efforts and warned that "increased action" was needed to tackle the forces driving biodiversity loss.
It was not immediately clear which recommendations made the final adopted text. The agreed "global review" had still not been published hours after its adoption.
But "while not particularly exciting or detailed, it's good news that countries could reach agreement", Catherine Weller from Fauna and Flora said.
Kirsty Leong from WWF International said the "outcome has its strengths and weaknesses, but, on balance, it's a good outcome".
After the cheers subsided, negotiations on other items dragged into the early hours of Saturday as the tone soured.
"It's glacial progress," one negotiator from a developed country said from inside the plenary hall.
Some welcomed modest progress on tackling subsidies and other incentives that encourage activities harmful to nature, such as fossil fuels, intensive agriculture and overfishing. — AFP
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