Protecting the Wild: Inside the Push to Save 30% of Land by 2030
Nearly every country has signed up to protect a third of its land and sea. Meeting the target means hard choices about farms, housing and who decides.
At the 2022 UN biodiversity summit, almost 200 countries agreed to protect 30% of land and ocean by 2030. Today, roughly 17% of land is formally protected.
Where the land comes from
Closing the gap means new parks, but also paying farmers to manage land for wildlife and recognising areas already cared for by Indigenous communities.
Critics warn that lines on a map mean little without funding for rangers and enforcement. Supporters say the target has already pushed nature up the agenda of finance ministries for the first time.