Achieving 30×30

Main image: A projection on London’s Tower Bridge displays messages of hope for nature, sent by people from all around the world and directed towards world leaders ahead of COP16 biodiversity summit in Cali, Colombia. © Greenpeace / Ollie Harrop

As talks get underway at the UN Biodiversity COP16 in Cali, Colombia a Greenpeace International report released today (21 October) warns that at the current rate of progress, the 30×30 nature target agreed by all governments at the previous nature summit won’t be achieved at sea until 2107.
 
The report comes after campaigners from Greenpeace UK wrote to ministers urging the UK government to take a leading role at the Cali biodiversity talks by pushing for ambitious action to put targets back on track.
 
The Greenpeace International report, ‘From commitment to action: Achieving the 30×30 target through the Global Ocean Treaty’, details progress made so far towards the goal and sets out the key obstacles preventing faster progress.

The findings are damning: almost nothing has been done since the target was agreed.

Almost no progress

In the 32 years since the Rio Earth Summit, where the Convention for Biological Diversity was established, less than 3% of the world’s ocean has been fully protected from human activities. This includes less than 1% of the high seas – the vast areas of the ocean beyond national jurisdiction. 

In the UK, only two of our 386 marine protected areas (MPAs) are fully protected from all fishing activities. The remaining 384 MPAs permit a variety of fishing activities, including many that allow for bottom-towed gear.

The equivalent of more than 50 MPAs the size of the UK need to be established every year – one per week – between now and the end of 2030 to meet the global target.

‘We are six years from the end of 2030 and yet almost no progress has been made towards protecting 30% of the world’s ocean. At the current rate, we won’t hit 30% protection at sea until the next century.

‘A healthy ocean is vital for millions of people and for protecting biodiversity from human pressures and climate change. Where is the ambition? Where are the ocean champions? This objective can only be achieved with great efforts both in territorial waters and on the high seas. Governments must accelerate the pace of ratification to bring the Global Ocean Treaty to life in 2025. This is the only way to keep the 30×30 target within reach.

‘The level of protection determines the success of an MPA, so the new sanctuaries must be fully or highly protected to be effective. It is critical to protect the most ecologically valuable 30%, not the most politically convenient or easiest 30%. They also must be established in a manner that supports the formation of an ecologically representative and interconnected network and to recognise the role and rights of Indigenous peoples and coastal communities.’

MEGAN RANDLES
Policy advisor, Greenpeace UK