At Cop17, the pressure is on to rescue a deal that could end the destruction of nature

Key points

• Officials, scientists and environmentalists are meeting in Yerevan for Cop17, where nearly 200 countries must agree on a plan to speed up nature targets set for 2030. Those goals are far off track.
• A rare Persian leopard was recently spotted in Armenia, where only about 10 are thought to remain. A new initiative, the Coalition of Action to Recover Endangered Species, was announced to help governments decide where to focus efforts.
• Private funders have pledged more than $500m over five years to recover threatened species.