We’re facing two existential crises: climate change and rapid biodiversity loss. Reversing these crises requires protecting and sustainably managing our ocean, land and fresh water.
Blog
We Must Save Fresh Water to Save Ourselves
At the climate COP27 in Egypt, biodiversity COP15 in Montreal and other opportunities, The Nature Conservancy joins others in pressing for urgent stewardship of our world's precious freshwater.
The science is clear. We must radically scale up our protection efforts around the world. It’s now or never. Our best hope for a healthy and resilient planet is to protect at least 30% of lands, fresh water and ocean by 2030.
Protecting 30% by 2030
More than 100 nations support this goal. For greatest success, we must protect places that are:
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Representative of the diversity of life on Earth
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Effectively managed
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Durably financed
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Inclusive of and equitably benefiting stakeholders and rightsholders
By 2030, TNC aims to conserve:
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650M
650 million hectares (1.6 billion acres) of healthy land
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1M
1 million kilometers (621,000 miles) of river
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30M
30 million hectares (74 million acres) of lakes and wetlands
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4B
4 billion hectares (9.9 billion acres) of ocean
Magazine Feature
Enduring Earth: Protecting 30% of the Earth’s land and water by 2030 is an ambitious goal, and it’s going to take teamwork to get there
The Nature Conservancy and three major international organizations are teaming up to meet global conservation goals by 2030.
Feature
Inspiring the World Through Action in Gabon
Determined to protect 30 percent of its terrestrial, freshwater and marine habitats, Gabon is emerging as a conservation leader.
How we take action on ocean, land and freshwater conservation
TNC is catalyzing a full range of ocean, land and freshwater protection efforts with conservation finance, science and policy work. We are at the forefront with our partners in delivering at-scale protections and the necessary financing. We are deeply committed to supporting the ambitions and rights of communities and Indigenous Peoples and the contributions their voices, choices and actions make to conserving the diversity of life on Earth.
Some of our most innovative strategies include debt conversion, including Blue Bonds, and collaborating with other non-profits to accelerate Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) mechanisms through Enduring Earth. This work strengthens nature’s ability to save biodiversity and ourselves.
Global Insights
Check out the latest perspectives, research and tools that inform how we protect land and waters and approach environmental challenges.
Featured Stories
Blog
The Imperative for Durable Freshwater Protection
Freshwater ecosystems are some of the most threatened on Earth—here’s how we change that.
Feature
Barbados Commits to Ambitious Ocean Conservation
This innovative debt refinancing project will provide Barbados with $50 million to assess and safeguard its marine assets for a sustainable future.
Feature
How Belize is Transforming the Caribbean
Belize just committed to protecting 30 percent of its ocean territory, with the support of the world’s largest debt conversion for marine conservation to date.
Press Release
Partnering to Preserve Belize Maya Forest
Today, more than a dozen organizations, including The Nature Conservancy, are protecting 236,000 acres of land that represents an irreplaceable linchpin in the conservation