Global conservation area coverage substantially exceeds current estimates
Conservation areas likely cover 26.81% of the terrestrial realm, significantly exceeding the official estimate of 18.5%. A study published in Nature on October 14 used a sample of 25 countries to show that national datasets often contain conservation areas not reflected in global figures. While this puts the world closer to the Global Biodiversity Framework Target 3 goal of 30% coverage by 2030, researchers warn that this additional land does not resolve gaps in ecological representativeness. Consequently, meeting the area target alone may not stop global biodiversity loss.
Listen to Live Briefing
Real-time synthesized voice briefing · Live Feeds Desk
- ✓ Conservation areas likely cover 26.81% of the terrestrial realm.
- ✓ Official statistics previously reported conservation areas as covering 18.5% of the terrestrial realm.
- ✓ Governments committed through Global Biodiversity Framework Target 3 to increase conservation coverage to at least 30% by 2030.
- ✓ Additional conservation land does not substantially address gaps in ecological representativeness.
What changed
A Nature study incorporating national datasets reveals a roughly eight percentage point increase in conserved land over official statistics.
Live updates
-
Conservation areas likely cover 26.8% of Earth's land
Conservation areas likely cover 26.81% of the terrestrial realm, significantly exceeding the official estimate of 18.5%. A study published in Nature on October 14 used a sample of 25 countries to show that national datasets often contain conservation areas not reflected in global figures. While this puts the world closer to the Global Biodiversity Framework Target 3 goal of 30% coverage by 2030, researchers warn that this additional land does not resolve gaps in ecological representativeness. Consequently, meeting the area target alone may not stop global biodiversity loss.
Why it matters
Governments committed to the 30x30 goal to tackle the global environmental crisis. Previous official statistics suggested progress had stalled. This updated estimate changes the arithmetic for achieving the 2030 deadline.
What is confirmed
- Conservation areas likely cover 26.81% of the terrestrial realm.
- Official statistics previously reported conservation areas as covering 18.5% of the terrestrial realm.
- Governments committed through Global Biodiversity Framework Target 3 to increase conservation coverage to at least 30% by 2030.
- Additional conservation land does not substantially address gaps in ecological representativeness.
What to watch next
- Data on whether protected areas are being used for mining
- Updates from CBD COP17 regarding the 30% protection target
confidence 95%Sources used for this update (13)
- Nature — Global conservation area coverage substantially exceeds current estimates
- Greenpeace — CBD COP17: What does it really mean to protect 30% of the planet?
- news - Mongabay — Protected areas are not for mining: Interview with WWF’s Nadège Nzoyem
- Florida International University — Nearly 27% of Earth's land is managed for conservation, but critical ecosystems remain vulnerable
- Bioengineer.org — Earth May Already Be Far Closer to the 30x30 Conservation Goal Than We
- Mirage News — Nearly 27% of Earth's Land Conserved, but Ecosystems Remain Vulnerable
- Phys.org — We're surprisingly close to conserving 30% of the world's land
- scitechdaily.com — The World May Be Much Closer to a Major Conservation Goal Than Scientists Thought - SciTechDaily
- www.nature.com — Global conservation area coverage substantially exceeds ...
- www.nature.com — Lay of the land: terrestrial conservation efforts cover a ...
- plos.org — Economic valuation of ecosystem services in agriculture and agroforestry: A meta-analysis | PLOS One
- morningoverview.com — 26.8% of Earth’s land is already in some kind of conservation ...
Community Sentiment: How do you assess this situation?
Voice your perspective · Real-time aggregated sentiment from the Live Feeds community