Key facts
- Governments are set to miss the UN's 2030 target to protect 30% of the world's land and seas.
- Current protected land areas cover 20% and marine areas cover 10% of the global total.
- The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework aims to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.
- Nearly 200 countries signed the framework, pledging to mobilize at least $200 billion annually.
- An estimated $75 billion to $150 billion annual funding shortfall exists for biodiversity protection.
- Only 3.5% of the ocean is considered effectively protected, despite 10% being under protection plans.
Governments are significantly behind schedule in meeting a key United Nations target to protect at least 30% of the world's land and seas by 2030, according to research published on Wednesday. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, agreed upon in late 2022, saw nearly 200 countries commit to the "30 by 30" goal and pledge to mobilize at least $200 billion annually to reverse biodiversity loss.
Despite progress, with an additional 1.3 million square kilometers of land and 6 million square kilometers of marine areas brought under formal protection since the framework's inception, total coverage remains at only 20% for terrestrial and 10% for marine environments. This finding aligns with an official progress report expected at the upcoming UN Convention on Biological Diversity conference in Yerevan, Armenia.
A draft of that report, released in July, warned that none of the agreement's 23 goals would be met by 2030 without a rapid acceleration in implementation. Astrid Schomaker, executive secretary of the UNCBD, noted at a recent briefing that while progress is being made, it is uneven and not at the pace or scale required.
The research by the Campaign for Nature indicated that even if all government pledges are fulfilled by 2030, only about 26% of terrestrial and inland water areas would be protected, with just 13% of marine ecosystems covered. The annual funding shortfall is estimated between $75 billion and $150 billion, with marine protection receiving only $1.8 billion of the required $16 billion.
Furthermore, the report highlighted a gap between protection on paper and in practice. Pauli Merriman, senior director for oceans at WWF International, stated that a line on a map does not equate to actual protection, emphasizing that only 3.5% of the ocean currently considered under protection plans is effectively managed.