International Funding for “30x30” Biodiversity Target Remains Billions Short of Global Goals
New report and interactive dashboard reveal that while funding has increased since the 2022 Global Biodiversity Framework, a $4 billion annual gap threatens the protection of the planet’s land and ocean
NAIROBI, KENYA (10 December 2025) - A new study and interactive dashboard released today at the seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) finds that current international financial flows remain billions of dollars short of what is required to achieve the global biodiversity target of protecting and conserving at least 30% of the world’s land and ocean by 2030 (30x30). The new assessment by Indufor, funded by Campaign for Nature, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and Rainforest Foundation Norway finds that, though international funding designed to help developing countries fund nature protection has risen by 150% over the past decade, reaching just over $1 billion in 2024, it also concludes developed nations are $4 billion short of meeting funding targets intended to make 30x30 possible.
The report, State of International 30x30 Funding, provides the first comprehensive overview of international funding flows since world leaders adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) in December 2022. That historic agreement committed nations to protect at least 30% of the planet's land and ocean by 2030. The GBF also addresses the significant funding needed to achieve this target, with global modelling from a previous study suggesting that expanding and managing protected areas alone likely requires $103 billion to $178 billion per year globally.
The goal of Target 19 is to mobilize at least $200 billion per year in global biodiversity finance, including at least $30 billion annually to developing countries by 2030. Because many of the world’s unprotected, most biodiverse areas are located in countries with constrained public budgets and competing development needs, international finance will be pivotal to delivering 30x30 fairly and effectively. The funds are needed to pay for a gamut of activities, including legally establishing new protected areas, providing capacity to rangers who protect existing protected and conserved areas, and supporting Indigenous groups and local communities.
To arrive at its findings, the report authors assembled data on international biodiversity funding from diverse public and philanthropic sources and applied a standardized process to identify funding that supports the implementation of Target 3. They drew on international aid reporting, multilateral fund databases, and public and private philanthropy grant disclosures. Their focus was specifically on protected and conserved areas (PCAs) in those countries eligible for donor funding.
Key report findings include the following:
Support for PCAs in developing countries grew from $396 million in 2014 to over $1.1 billion in 2024. From 2022 to 2024, average annual funding climbed 70% compared to the previous four-year period. Notably, the philanthropic sector increased funding by 89% over that period.
However, to meet the GBF’s Target 19a, international finance specifically for 30x30 needs to reach an estimated $6 billion per year by 2030. At the current growth rate, international funders will miss that target by $4 billion annually. Closing that gap would require accelerating to a 33% growth rate.
Five bilateral donors and multilateral mechanisms provided 54% of all tracked 30x30 disbursements since 2022. They are: Germany, The World Bank, Global Environment Facility (GEF), the European Union, and the United States. This concentration makes funding vulnerable to political shifts and changing priorities among key actors.
Funding is going to lower-income countries, but small island developing states and other oceanic regions remain severely underfunded by international flows. International PCA funding has grown fastest in Africa, which by 2024 receives nearly half (48%) of all tracked flows. Small island developing states overall receive just $48 million per year (4.5%) in international 30x30 funding, despite being explicitly prioritized in the GBF (under Target 19a).
The majority of international funding, 82%, is going towards strengthening existing protected areas — relatively little is going to the expansion of protected areas. Also, much of the funding goes to conventional protected areas — versus those, for example, under the stewardship of Indigenous Peoples or other local communities.
Marine ecosystems received just 14% of international funding despite representing 71% of the planet. International funding per square kilometer of marine protection has been mostly flat since 2014, as funding flows have only kept pace with the expansion of the marine PCA estate in developing countries.
The results shown in this report and dashboard demonstrate the urgency for deeper commitments from all stakeholders — governments, philanthropies, multilateral institutions, and the private sector — to dramatically scale up investment before 2030. Otherwise, the projected shortfall in targeted international funding poses a severe risk of failing to reach the 30x30 target, leading to significant consequences for global biodiversity and climate protection efforts, the well-being of people, and national economies. The new dashboard will help translate financial commitments into the strategic actions needed to reach the regions and activities where they're most needed to achieve progress toward Target 3.
Brian O’Donnell, director, Campaign for Nature, said: “This analysis shows that, despite some recent progress, funding is projected to fall billions short of what is needed to meet the 30x30 target. There is a clear need to ramp up marine conservation finance, especially to Small Island Developing States which receive only a small fraction of the funding dedicated to other regions. Meeting the 30x30 target is essential to prevent extinctions, achieve climate goals, and ensure the services that nature provides endure, including storm protection and clean air and water.”
Tom Dillon, senior vice president, Environment and Crosscutting Initiatives at The Pew Charitable Trusts, said: “Achieving the global 30x30 goal requires not just ambition but equally bold investment in nature. This analysis highlights a major shortfall between available and necessary funding for lasting protection. Bridging that gap will demand unprecedented cooperation across governments, investors, philanthropy, business, and Indigenous and local communities to develop new financial models that reward the protection of nature.”
Anders Haug Larsen, advocacy director at Rainforest Foundation Norway, said: “Increasing international support is crucial to achieve the target of halting the loss of biodiversity by 2030, as agreed to in the Global Biodiversity Framework. We are currently far off track, both in mobilizing resources and protecting nature. We now have a short window of opportunity, where governments, donors, and actors on the ground, including Indigenous Peoples and local communities, need to work together to enhance finance and actions for rights-based nature protection.”
Michael Owen, study author, Indufor North America LLC, said: “To date, there has been limited public analysis of international funding flows for protected and conserved areas. Transparency is uneven across donors, and the data needed to understand 30x30 funding are fragmented across sources, often without the resolution required to track real progress. Our goal for the 30x30 Funding Dashboard is to centralize these data, enable users to view funding at the project level, and provide a clear view of top-line trends in the accompanying report. We hope this analysis encourages more donors to strengthen transparency and accountability as we move toward the deadline for Target 3.”
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About Indufor North America LLC
Indufor North America LLC is a sustainability-focused consulting firm that provides strategic analysis and management consulting to NGOs, multilateral organizations, and donors. Based in Washington, D.C. and certified as a B-Corp, the firm combines rigorous analytics with practical experience to design policies, evaluate programs, structure investments, and guide organizations through complex climate and natural resource governance challenges.
About Campaign for Nature
The Campaign for Nature is a global initiative working to support the protection of at least 30% of the world’s land and oceans by 2030, a target known as "30x30" agreed upon by 196 countries in 2022. Through strategic advocacy, financial mobilization, and partnership-building, the campaign focuses on helping governments, particularly in the Global South, develop and implement ambitious conservation plans. CfN also emphasizes the essential role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities as stewards of biodiversity. Backed by a diverse Global Steering Committee of former world leaders and conservation experts, the Campaign for Nature aims to secure significant international financing and elevate nature protection as a global political and funding priority. CfN also serves as the Secretariat of SPACES, a consortium providing technical and financial planning support to countries.
About The Pew Charitable Trusts
Founded in 1948, The Pew Charitable Trusts uses data to make a difference. Pew addresses the challenges of a changing world by illuminating issues, creating common ground, and advancing ambitious projects that lead to tangible progress.
About Rainforest Foundation Norway
Rainforest Foundation Norway is an international NGO working to protect the rainforests and the rights of Indigenous and forest peoples. Together with over 60 partner organizations in six rainforest countries in South America, Central Africa, and Southeast Asia, we offer solutions to the main challenges of our time: the climate and nature crises.