Countries have committed to conserving at least 30% of the world’s land and waters by 2030, one of the most ambitious conservation targets ever agreed. It’s a goal enshrined as Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and informally known as 30x30.
Now, research shows that its success hinges as much on social choices as ecological ones. A new global study funded by the Science for Nature and People Partnership examines the social implications of meeting the 30x30 target.
The research modelled the number of people that might be in or near to potential future protected areas (or OECMs) based on different hypothetical scenarios: one prioritizing biodiversity hotspots, the second focusing on areas that provide critical benefits to people such as clean water and climate regulation, and the third centering on Indigenous and traditional territories with high biodiversity value.
Although very much a target focused on stemming the dramatic loss of biodiversity, 30x30 also provides clear guidance that implementation of the target needs to respect the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, including over their traditional territories, and ensure protected and conserved area systems are equitably governed.
The research underscores that 30x30 is not only a major conservation target but an important social target, requiring governance models that respect rights, support livelihoods, and share benefits fairly.
This has long been a focus for The Nature Conservancy and around the world, we are already applying these lessons.
- In Africa, TNC supports community conservancy models that place land and wildlife management in the hands of local people, aligning conservation outcomes with income from tourism and grazing rights. These models show how locally led governance can deliver results for both people and biodiversity.
- In Australia, TNC supports Indigenous rangers to manage Indigenous Protected Areas, which now comprise over 50% of Australia’s National Reserve System. Indigenous Ranger programs are having a profoundly positive effect on people’s lives and achieving long-term environmental, economic and cultural benefits for people and Country.
- Elsewhere in Australia, returning land to First Nations communities for conservation is securing conservation and cultural outcomes.
- Globally, TNC’s work with Indigenous Peoples reflects growing evidence that Indigenous lands are among the most effective places for conservation—when rights and governance are respected. Research shows these territories are critical to meeting global conservation goals.
There is Hope
The study’s message is ultimately hopeful. 30x30 can succeed, and maximise when done with people.
Read the study