Earth Today | Global progress on conservation, but still miles to go to reach 2030 target
Published:Thursday | November 7, 2024 | 12:09 AM
COUNTRIES WORLDWIDE are progressing efforts to conserve up to 30 per cent of land, waters and seas by 2030, in line with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Still, there remains some way to go, with the newly published Protected Planet Report revealing that the global coverage of protected and conserved areas has reached 17.6 per cent of terrestrial and inland waters, and 8.4 per cent of marine and coastal areas.
“Since 2020, an additional 629,000 km2 in the terrestrial and inland waters realm and 1.77 million km2 in the marine and coastal realm has been officially protected. While 30 per cent coverage is a global target, there are 51 countries and territories that already have networks of protected and conserved areas that exceed 30 per cent coverage on land and 31 that exceed 30 per cent at sea, highlighting the efforts being made at the national level,” the 2024 report said.
“With six years remaining to reach the 30 per cent coverage target in each realm, a further 16.7 million km2 (12.4 per cent) of terrestrial and inland waters, and 78.3 million km2 (21.6 per cent) of marine and coastal areas are needed to be secured in networks of protected and conserved areas. This will require a substantial increase in the rate of expansion of protected and conserved areas seen since 2020,” it added.
According to the report, it is important that efforts to reach the target be accelerated, given a range of factors – not the least of these being that “based on an assessment of five global ecosystem services, the majority of areas important for ecosystem functions and services – also known as critical natural assets – are unprotected”.
“Less than one-fifth of these critical areas are currently protected,” revealed the report, which is the first to fully assess the global status of protected and conserved areas in the context of Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, while bringing together the latest official data reported by governments and other stakeholders to the Protected Planet Initiative.
The Protected Planet Initiative is the global platform for knowledge and data on the status and trends of protected and conserved areas, and reflects the collaborative efforts of the United Nations Environment Programme and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
KEY BIODIVERSITY AREAS
Also adding to the urgency to increase efforts to reach the target is the fact that while more than two-thirds of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are presently partially or fully covered by protected and conserved areas, “the remaining one-third (or 32 per cent) of KBAs fall entirely outside these areas and lack formal protection”. Examples of KBAs in Jamaica are Cockpit Country-North Coast Forest-Black River-Great Morass; and the Portland Bight Protected Area.
“A quarter of ecoregions already have more than 30 per cent protection. However, many ecoregions are not currently well represented by the protected area network. Work is needed to ensure systems of protected and conserved areas are ecologically representative,” the report added.
At the same time, it said that “the majority of areas important for ecosystem functions and services are unprotected. Less than one-fifth of these critical areas are currently protected.
An important element of those efforts, the report said, must be attention to making data accessible and equitable governance.
“To date, 177 countries and territories have completed and reported protected area management effectiveness assessments for at least one protected area. However, more data on the quality of governance, management, and the achievement of conservation outcomes are needed to assess and understand progress towards the ‘effectiveness’ aspects of Target 3 [of the Kunming-Montreal framework],” the report said.
“Data are limited on the extent to which protected and conserved areas are equitably governed. Governance assessments have only been reported for 0.22 per cent of the area covered on land and 0.001 per cent of the area at sea. Such assessments are important for ensuring that Indigenous Peoples and local communities, particularly Indigenous and local women, are engaged in decision-making, have fair access to benefits arising from conservation, and are not unfairly impacted by its costs,” it added.
“The vast majority of protected and conserved areas are governed by national governments and other state actors. Recognition of non-state governance remains limited, with only 3.95 per cent of the area covered by protected and conserved areas reported as governed by Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and 11.84 per cent under shared governance,” the report noted further.
It is necessary, too, to safeguard integration for the long-term success of biodiversity conservation.
“This requires a commitment to integrated spatial planning, strong governance and collaborative management, ensuring both biodiversity protection and the enhancement of local livelihoods,” the report said.