Protecting 30% to save 100%
Our planet is in trouble. The 30×30 Project isn’t the full solution, but it’s an important step to help us all understand the state of the world we live in and to ensure the health of our planet moving forward. Join us as we dive into six critical, interconnected environmental solutions that will help us achieve the 30×30 target and save the world.
The 30×30 target aims to protect at least 30% of both our global lands and seas in order to preserve critical biodiversity and ecosystems.
To address 30×30 in a way that is both equitable and sustainable, solutions must be committed to the following eight principles.
Pursue a collaborative and inclusive approach to conservation. The “top down” approach doesn’t work when it comes to the environment. We must provide seats at the table for everyone—especially those disproportionately impacted by environmental issues.
Build on existing strategies, emphasizing flexible and adaptive approaches. Adapting strategies informed by past and current work will be key as we approach 2030. Initiatives for a variety of environmental approaches (like the co-benefits of sustainable agriculture and forest regeneration) lead to more flexibility.
Conserve America’s lands and waters for the benefit of all people. Everyone can and should benefit from an improved environment; not just select peoples or geographies. Solutions should do good across all boundaries, including (but certainly not limited to) country, culture, race, class, religion, tribal affiliations, gender, and sexual orientation.
Support locally led and locally designed conservation efforts. Local communities are experts on the environmental issues that impact them most. Local leaders and activists can implement solutions in a manner that’s truly valuable to their communities. These actions will have the most immediate and positive impact.
Support Tribal Nation priorities and sovereignty. Indigenous groups have lived in balance with nature for millennia. Today, many U.S. Tribal Nations lead the country in housing healthy, biodiverse habitats. With this knowledge and leadership, Tribal Nations can lead us to a healthier future.1"Indigenous Peoples: Defending an Environment for All," International Institute for Sustainable Development ≫
Pursue projects that create jobs and support healthy communities. 30x30 solutions shouldn’t overburden our economy. Instead, they should boost our communities and local economies through the creation of green jobs, new opportunities, and improved health and wellness.
Honor private property and support voluntary stewardship. Private landowners, both residential and commercial, can enact powerful protections on their own lands and waters. These efforts not only protect ecologically significant habitats, but also cultivate a sustainability-first mindset.
Use science as a guide. All decisions and 30x30 solutions should be supported by science. We should use relevant, peer reviewed data to inform the areas we prioritize. Once a solution is enacted, we can use science and data to determine how effective it is and adapt as necessary.
Click below to learn more about how 30×30 goals will renew our communities and biodiversity.
Achieving 30×30 by addressing our biggest source of land use
Achieving 30×30 by aiding our pollinators
Achieving 30×30 by restoring our coral reefs
Building resilient, sustainable communities to help reach 30×30
Advancing 30×30 goals by restoring our forests
Achieving 30×30 by addressing how we fish
Indigenous Peoples around the world have been practicing variations of these solutions for thousands of years—these are not new ideas. As the originators of these practices, Indigenous communities continue to be thought leaders, subject experts, and biodiversity stewards.1“CAP Event Highlights Partners in Indigenous-Led Conservation,” Center for American Progress ≫
We need to amplify these voices and prioritize opportunities for Indigenous leadership as we form and implement solutions to achieve our goal of 30×30.
IMAGE: JialiangGao/Wikimedia
For more than a millenium, China’s Hani people have maintained a complex, productive system of terraces to cultivate rice in rough mountain terrain. Read more on the 30×30 Sustainable Agriculture page >>>
IMAGE: Patrick Shepherd/CIFOR
Ester Sitomik discusses the central role of conservation as a member of the Kenya’s Ogiek community. Read more on the 30×30 Pollinators page >>>
IMAGE: T. Tunsch/Wikimedia
Stones mark the boundary of a Native Hawaiian ahupua’a, an ancient land management system that protects resources from the mountains to the ocean. Read more on the 30×30 Coral Reef Restoration page >>>
IMAGE: Anthony Auston/Flickr
New Zealand’s largest and oldest living tree (dating almost 2,500 years), Tane Mahuta is a focal point of Indigenous Maori efforts to protect delicate ecosystems. Read more on the 30×30 Forest Restoration page >>>
IMAGE: Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada/YouTube
The Heiltsuk First Nation community still maintains Indigenous fishing practices along of coastal British Columbia. Read more on the 30×30 Sustainable Fisheries page >>>
Learn. Support. Share. Contribute to 30×30 solutions in three simple steps!
Environmental issues offen leave us with more questions than answers . . . But confronting them head-on will lead us to a stronger, healthier future.
When talking about the 30×30 target, “land” is any terrestrial (“land-based”) habitat that is critical for conservation and biodiversity. This can include all land-based biomes, from the arctic tundra, to rainforests, to deserts, both hot and cold. (Yes, there are polar deserts!)2“Life in the Extreme: Polar Deserts,” NASA ≫
To achieve the goal of 30% of land conservation, we must prioritize land that has not been previously developed (a.k.a. “untouched” land). Once these ecologically important regions have been protected, we can move on to improving lands that have already been developed in some way.
“Water,” when used in reference to the 30×30 target, is specifically referring to freshwaters and marine waters that are critical for conservation and biodiversity. Ocean areas closest to land are often the most ecologically important due to the ecosystems they support. They’re also the most likely to be impacted by humans.
It’s important that we protect waters that play a significant role in marine and freshwater ecosystems—as well as all land ecosystems—and which are most at risk of harm.
In order to identify the lands and waters that need protection (and to implement proper solutions), we must consider and address the following questions:
The 30×30 target is certainly an expensive goal, but not as expensive as you might think. Experts estimate that we can expect to spend anywhere from $100 billion USD to $178 billion USD per year globally. (For some perspective, it’s roughly the same as two months’ worth of global oil industry subsidies.) It’s a large number, sure, but it’s doable. The money is there; we must prioritize it.3“Best Practice in Delivering the 30×30 Target,” The Nature Conservancy ≫
The 30×30 target aims to conserve 30% of lands and waters that are wild, undeveloped, and ecologically important. Research suggests that 26% of the planet’s surface is still relatively wild, while 56% is considered to have low human impact. So, yes, there is certainly enough space—both land and water—to make a significant impact.4“Best Practice in Delivering the 30×30 Target,” The Nature Conservancy ≫; “Global human influence maps reveal clear opportunities in conserving Earth’s remaining intact terrestrial ecosystems,” Global Change Biology ≫
But how do we identify where to start? The 30×30 target largely focuses on officially-recognized protected areas, marine protected areas (MPAs), and other effective conservation measures (OECMs). These various protected regions are highly regulated with restrictions to deter negative human impact. To qualify as part of the global 30%, the identified lands and waters must meet multiple criteria, including being in a fully natural or near-natural state. Some lands and waters will need to go through restoration as part of their protection and management.
To accurately initiate these protections will, in many places, require partnerships with Indigenous groups and local communities who are already familiar with the region—many of whom already steward significant biodiverse lands.
At the 2022 U.N. Biodiversity Conference, 196 countries ratified the 30×30 target and its much larger parent treaty, the Global Biodiversity Framework. Only two countries didn’t sign: the Vatican and the United States. Since then, the U.S. has pledged billions of dollars toward climate and biodiversity support.5“Progress Report on President Biden’s Climate Finance Pledge,” U.S. Department of State ≫
But who is responsible for enacting solutions?
Each country must address its own ecologically significant 30% of lands and waters. However, some countries are home to more globally significant ecosystems than others. In this case, larger and more financially and industrially developed countries must step up to the plate and assist—through funding and resources—in the implementation of proper programming and protections.
Who must foot the bill for the 30×30 target? For starters, the countries who have an outsized negative environmental impact compared to other smaller, less industrious and/or wealthy nations. (United States, looking at you!)
Global governments that signed the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)—more than 190 countries around the world—also agreed to preserve their own individual protections for 30% of their lands and waters. This includes contributing financially to solutions via taxes and fees, a user-pays approachs, private and international donors, and restructured debts.
Recently, the United States provided $91 million in funding through one of EarthShare’s Partner organizations, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and their America the Beautiful program.6“America the Beautiful Challenge,” National Fish and Wildlife Foundation ≫
YES! 30×30 is a scientifically backed target, which means it’s certainly achievable, but it requires commitment at all levels of the government and full public support. We need to come together—and quickly—to make it happen.
One major initial obstacle is education. If this is your first time hearing about 30×30 or exploring what this target will take to achieve, you are not alone. A huge portion of the global population—especially those who aren’t involved in the environmental sector—have no idea what 30×30 is or what it means. There are probably others in your life who haven’t heard of it either!
The more we can share this knowledge and inspire action, the more people who are pushing for positive change, and the more likely we are to build momentum and achieve these goals.
Definitely not. Achieving 30% by 2030 is only the beginning. Climate scientists are already calling for 50% by 2050 to better support the ecosystems we rely on. But we must start somewhere, and the foundations we put into place by 2030 will make these larger land and water protections possible.
In the meantime, we must ensure that, although we’re protecting 30% of ecologically representative lands and waters, the remaining 70% that is unprotected doesn’t suffer. After all, our planet will be in far worse shape if we continue to allow our natural world to be overly burdened by fossil fuels, pollution, deforestation, and the like. Our approach must be balanced, and we need to keep our eyes on the big picture as we implement solutions both now and in the future.
The 30×30 (pronounced “thirty by thirty”) target is a goal set by the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in 2022 to protect 30% of ecologically representative terrestrial lands and 30% of ecologically representative waters, both marine (sea) and fresh, by 2030 with the specific intent of protecting global biodiversity.
For an area of land or water to be considered “ecologically representative,” it must provide a sampling of all biodiversity and ecosystem benefits within that region. This means it must be home to all or most native plant and wildlife species as well as all ecological processes (such as reproduction). The area should also be able to adapt to natural change.
Over the last century, biodiversity has come under significant threat due to habitat loss, urbanization and industrialization, pollution, and climate change.
Biodiversity impacts the environmental systems and processes we all rely on—systems that support all life here on earth, from the water we drink, to the food we eat, to the air we breathe. It’s kind of a big deal.
Today only 16% of land, 15% of freshwater, and 8% of our oceans are protected. In the past 50 years alone, we’ve lost 60% of terrestrial (land-based) wildlife. Bottom line: the numbers do not look good.2“Why 30%?” Campaign for Nature ≫
Thirty percent (or roughly one-third) is the minimum amount of land and water needed to be protected by 2030 to divert ecological disaster.
Debt restructuring or “debt-for-nature” swaps are a credit-based solution to help address the debts of poorer developing nations. Debts are purchased at a discount by other governments, aid groups, and environmental philanthropists with the agreement that the debt-owing government sets aside money for environmental conservation efforts. The country’s debt is forgiven and there is funding for conservation. It’s a win-win!
Though primarily focused on smaller-scale projects, the United States has purchased billions of dollars in debts for dozens of countries as part of debt-for-nature swaps, unlocking nearly half a billion for conservation projects.3“A New Wave of Debt Swaps for Climate or Nature,” United Nations Development Programme ≫
Wealthy donors around the world are a prime target for cultivating contributions and support for 30×30 programming. There are less than 400,000 truly high net worth individuals in the world, and yet these people account for roughly 83% of total individual giving each year. While fundraising certainly comes with no guarantees, governments and other regulatory bodies have significantly more leverage to target millionaire and billionaire donors as well as foundations and corporate philanthropists to supplement 30×30 costs.4“Global Philanthropy Trends of Ultra High Net Worth Individuals,” Altrata ≫
This principle suggests that the person who uses a particular consumer good or service must pay a fee to cover any environmental damages that may result from their use. This cost would be proportionate to the total lifecycle of the object. For example, when you purchase a roll of toilet paper, you’re not only buying the product, but also paying a fee for the resources needed to make it and the carbon emissions produced as a result.
The downside of the user-pays approach is that it doesn’t consider the significantly outsized impact of corporations that consume more resources than any single individual. This led to the introduction of the “polluter-pays approach,” which suggests the polluter has the responsibility for maintaining the well-being of the environment.5“The ecosystem approach to fisheries,” Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ≫
One recommended method for helping world governments come up with funds to address 30×30 is to implement taxes and fees. This could be anything from a general environmental tax—a tax every citizen must pay to help offset their own carbon footprints and natural resource usage—to taxes and fees specifically levied at corporations that use the vast majority of natural resources and, likewise, produce most of the pollution and waste.6“Best Practice in Delivering the 30×30 Target,” The Nature Conservancy ≫
The ocean-based equivalent of an officially protected area, marine proteted areas (MPAs) are managed geographical regions that help shield marine ecosystems and habitats from harm due to human activity. These regions often have strict regulations such as a ban on fishing, high fines for littering, and no-drive zones for boats.
Other effective conservation measures (OECMs) refer to geographies that are not considered a protected area, yet deliver long-term biodiversity and habitat benefits with proper oversight. These can be managed and monitored by individuals, communities, private organizations, or government entities.
When discussing conservation, a protected area is a clearly defined geographical location or area that is both legally recognized and managed by governments or regulatory organizations to ensure the long-term protection and conservation of its ecosystem and habitat services.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists six categories of protected areas:7“The International Union for Conservation of Nature Protected Area Management Categories,” International Union for Conservation of Nature ≫
For 30×30 to be equitable, it not only needs to benefit everyone, but it should provide greater benefit to those who have been disproportionately harmed by environmental factors. The people who have been experiencing the worst environmental harms (such as high levels of pollution or unclean water), most often BIPOC and financially disadvantaged communities, should receive the benefits of improved systems first and foremost, followed by other communities who have experienced fewer harms.
Protected areas should be interconnected to ensure whole ecosystems and their functionality remain protected. When considering if a region needs protection, we need to determine if that specific area of terrestrial land, freshwater, or marine water is connected to other areas of significant ecological value.
For an area of land or water to be considered “ecologically representative,” it must contain the full scope of the ecosystem benefits and biodiversity of that region. This includes all populations of native species and ecological processes (such as the reproduction cycle). The area should also be able to adapt to natural change.