Regional Seas Programme contributions to achieving the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF)

Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans (RSCAPs) play a pivotal role in turning these global commitments into regionally grounded action. Through decades of collaboration, RSCAPs have built trust, expertise, and shared governance mechanisms among countries with common marine and coastal ecosystems. These efforts have laid the groundwork for regionally tailored implementation of the KM GBF. However, realizing the full ambition of the Framework will require strengthened coordination, targeted capacity building, and enhanced transparency across all regions. This report presents the first comprehensive review of how RSCAPs are aligning with and contributing to the KM GBF. It assesses regional policies, protocols, monitoring frameworks, and indicators—focusing in particular on Targets 1 to 11 and 21. It highlights where progress is accelerating, where critical gaps persist, and where new opportunities are emerging to improve data harmonization, bolster regional monitoring, and scale up collective action for nature.