The world is lagging behind the goal of protecting 30% of nature by 2030

The world is lagging behind the goal of protecting 30% of nature by 2030

A new study shows that governments are far from the goal set by the United Nations to protect at least 30% of the world's land, inland waters and marine areas by 2030, and even full implementation of current commitments will not be enough to achieve this goal.

According to this study, published on Wednesday, Mehr 1st, today about 20% of the land areas and only 10% of the marine areas in the world are officially protected.

In 2022, nearly 200 countries in the world agreed to adopt the "Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework" with the so-called "30 by 30" target, with the goal that by 2030, at least 30% of the world's land and inland waters and 30% of the world's coastal and marine areas should be effectively managed.

According to research by several environmental organizations, since the approval of this agreement, approximately 1.3 million square kilometers have been added to terrestrial protected areas and six million square kilometers to marine protected areas. However, researchers say that even if governments implement all the commitments they have made so far, by 2030 only about 26% of land and inland waters and 12% of the world's marine ecosystems will be protected.

These findings are consistent with the estimates of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. The draft global report on the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal framework warned that the goals set for 2030 will not be achieved without accelerating the actions of countries.

The executive secretary of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity said that although progress has been made, this progress is "unbalanced" and does not match the speed and scope required to achieve the 23 goals of this framework.

Read the full version of this report on Radio Perda's website.