30 by 30

30 by 30
Name	30 by 30 Initiative
Caption	Global protected areas map
Established	2019
Jurisdiction	International
Objective	Protect 30% of terrestrial and marine areas by 2030

30 by 30.

The initiative seeking to conserve thirty percent of terrestrial and marine areas by 2030 emerged as a coalition of multilateral negotiators, environmental organizations, national agencies, and indigenous movements. It has been debated across forums such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations General Assembly, the G7 Summit, and the G20 Summit, and has influenced policy in jurisdictions including the United States, European Union, Canada, Australia, and Brazil. Advocates include NGOs like the World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, and the Nature Conservancy, while critics include academics from institutions such as Oxford University, University of California, Berkeley, and Australian National University.

Background and Origins

The concept crystallized during negotiations at the Convention on Biological Diversity and gained political traction following statements at the United Nations high-level meetings and endorsements at the Convention on Biological Diversity COP15 and the UN Convention on Climate Change COP26 diplomatic dialogues. Early proponents included international NGOs like IUCN and networks such as Protected Planet, drawing on precedents from national programs like the United States National Park Service expansions and the European Natura 2000 network. Scientific syntheses published by teams at institutions such as Stanford University, Princeton University, and University of Cambridge framed targets in relation to accords like the Aichi Targets.

Policy Goals and Targets

Policy framings have been advanced by coalitions including the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People and formalized in drafts under the Convention on Biological Diversity. National targets have been adopted by administrations such as the Biden administration, the Johnson ministry in the United Kingdom, and governments in New Zealand, Chile, and France. Targets interact with international agreements like the Paris Agreement and with funding mechanisms such as the Global Environment Facility and the Green Climate Fund. Conservation finance proposals reference institutions including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and development banks like the Asian Development Bank.

International and National Implementations

Implementation pathways vary: some countries favor protected-area expansion through designations by agencies such as the National Park Service, Parks Canada, and Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, while others employ market mechanisms championed by entities like the World Bank and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Regional blocs including the European Union integrate targets into directives administered by the European Commission, and federal systems like Brazil and India coordinate between national ministries and state-level agencies. Indigenous-led models from communities associated with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and organizations like Terr Indigenous Peoples influence implementation strategies alongside private conservation by trusts such as the MacArthur Foundation and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

Conservation Strategies and Actions

Common strategies include expanding protected areas through frameworks like the IUCN protected area categories, establishing marine protected areas modeled on examples such as the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, and conserving corridors inspired by initiatives like the Trillion Trees movement and the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative. Actions involve habitat restoration drawing on techniques from the Society for Ecological Restoration, invasive species control informed by case studies at Galápagos National Park and Kruger National Park, and species recovery programs for taxa similar to efforts for the Amur leopard, California condor, and Sumatran orangutan.

Scientific Basis and Biodiversity Metrics

Scientific rationales cite global assessments by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and datasets curated by GBIF, Protected Planet, and research centers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Metrics include species-area relationships used in studies from Harvard University and ETH Zurich, phylogenetic diversity analyses developed with contributions from Natural History Museum, London, and population trends monitored through programs like the Living Planet Index coordinated by Zoological Society of London. Spatial prioritization tools created by teams at University of Minnesota and James Cook University inform systematic conservation planning.

Criticisms and Challenges

Critiques originate from scholars at Yale University, University of Oxford, and activist groups including Friends of the Earth and Amazon Watch, focusing on potential impacts on communities cited in reports by Human Rights Watch and the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs. Concerns include enforcement difficulties observed in Congo Basin and Amazon rainforest contexts, opportunity costs highlighted by analysts at the OECD, and governance tensions documented in case studies from Kenya, Indonesia, and Russia. Debates also reference legal frameworks such as the Nagoya Protocol and property regimes under national laws in countries like Mexico and South Africa.

Progress, Monitoring, and Accountability

Monitoring frameworks leverage remote sensing from programs like Landsat and Copernicus Programme, reporting platforms maintained by UNEP-WCMC, and audit approaches used by multilateral funders including the Global Environment Facility and the Green Climate Fund. Accountability mechanisms involve reporting to the Convention on Biological Diversity, evaluation by scientific bodies like the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, and oversight from civil society organizations such as Transparency International and WWF. National progress reports have been submitted by governments including Canada, Germany, Japan, and South Africa to multilateral secretariats.

Category:Conservation initiatives