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CAMPAIGN FOR NATURE
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CAMPAIGN FOR NATURE
A PLAN TO PROTECT AT LEAST 30% OF THE PLANET BY 2030
CAMPAIGN FOR NATURE
BACKGROUNDER
Press Releases
Campaign for Nature Denounces Attack on Indigenous Land Rights in Brazil
May 31, 2023
Brazil’s lower house of Congress approved legislation on Tuesday that will have major negative implications for the territorial rights of Indigenous peoples. The legislation allows the government to seize land from Indigenous communities if it deems their cultural traits have changed. It also places an unreasonable time limit and cut off date on claims that will undermine large areas of Indigenous territorial claims.
Campaign for Nature director Brian O’Donnell denounced the attack on Indigenous territorial rights in Brazil and said:
“At a time when safeguarding and enhancing Indigenous territorial rights is an essential pathway for cultural survival, biodiversity conservation and climate mitigation, Brazil’s lower house of Congress is instead severely limiting Indigenous rights.”
Wealthiest Governments Must Prioritise The Biodiversity Crisis and Deliver On Commitments Made At COP15
May 20, 2023
On the eve of World Biodiversity Day, we, the undersigned, are calling on the wealthiest nations to prioritise urgent action to protect and restore biodiversity and just transition their economies to be nature positive.
We are encouraged that the G7 leader’s statement reaffirmed a commitment to the landmark Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and pledged to meet its goals and targets. The statement also reiterated G7 nations’ “commitment to substantially increase our national and international funding for nature by 2025”. This is a welcome recognition of the importance of rapidly mobilizing finance for nature.
The High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People Formalizes Partnership with the Campaign for Nature To Deliver 30 by 30 Goal
April 20, 2023
Following the agreement of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) at COP15, Campaign for Nature (CfN) is delighted to announce that a formal partnership between CfN and the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (HAC) has been agreed to deliver on the implementation of 30x30.
Throughout the GBF negotiations, CfN was proud to provide technical support to the HAC and its members by facilitating engagement with technical experts from various fields, supporting high-level events, and driving media outreach.
Global Agreement Reached to Protect and Conserve at Least 30% of World’s Land and Ocean by 2030
December 19, 2022
In the early hours of December 19th, negotiators from the 196 parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity rallied to finalize an ambitious, global biodiversity framework inclusive of the 30x30 target and Indigenous Peoples’ rights and recognition, while addressing the cavernous funding gap for biodiversity protection and conservation.
Brian O’Donnell, Director of the Campaign for Nature, said:
“In 2019, scientists sounded the alarm that biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history and urged global leaders to boldly act. After working through years of a global pandemic and economic and social upheaval, today in Montreal the international community has come together for a landmark global biodiversity agreement that provides some hope that the crisis facing nature is starting to get the attention it deserves…”
URGENT CALL FOR HEADS OF STATE TO ATTEND COP15
November 15, 2022
With just one month to go until COP15 begins in Montreal, Canada, the press reported on Thursday, November 10 that there will not be heads of state at COP15.
This is a very concerning situation considering this critical conference seeks to agree on a pathway to curb the collapse of our entire planetary life support system - one million species are at risk of extinction and unless critical ecosystems are urgently protected we could face serious threats not just to the natural world, but to our climate, health, food and clean water supply.
COP15 is the most important global summit for nature this decade. A ten year Global Biodiversity Framework should be agreed, but negotiations are way off track and there are serious concerns about the capacity of officials to find common ground without a clear indication from the highest level that it is a priority. Having government leaders there is essential to elevate this crisis to the level it deserves with officials, the media, the public and importantly to send a clear signal to investors and shareholders that the world is united in an ambition to end the devastating business as usual.
November 7, 2022
The Bezos Earth Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Wyss Campaign for Nature hosted Heads of State and ministers from around the world
On the first day of COP27, presidents and ministers from Palau, Nigeria, Costa Rica, the United Kingdom, France, and the United States have today affirmed their support for the 30x30 target which commits countries to a global effort to achieve the protection of at least thirty percent of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030 to help curb biodiversity loss and climate change.
July 21, 2022
At the Africa Nature Finance Forum, held yesterday on the sidelines of the inaugural African Protected Areas Congress (APAC) 2022, government leaders and experts from across Africa called for an urgent increase in financing to protect the world’s biodiversity.
“By 2100, we may lose half of our bird and animal species, 20-30% of the productivity of African lakes and significant numbers of our plant species,” said Hon. Lee White, Minister of Water, Forests, the Sea, and Environment, Gabon. “In this context, without strong action, we will create instability and security issues all over the African continent. One of the key elements is the mobilization of predictable and sustainable resources. This is why we need to think about innovative and sustainable finance for nature.”
More than 100 Countries Commit to Protect at Least 30% of Land and Oceans by 2030
June 30, 2022
At the United Nations (UN) Ocean Conference taking place in Lisbon this week, the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (HAC) announced that 100 countries have now committed to its core mission to protect at least 30% of the planet’s land and oceans by the end of the decade, also known as “30x30.” The science-driven, global goal to protect at least 30% of the planet by 2030 is one of the cornerstones of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework set to be agreed at the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) now taking place in Montreal 5 to 17 December 2022.
Timor-Leste, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the United States of America, Estonia, Saint Lucia, Bahrain, Montenegro, and Burkina Faso are among the latest countries to sign on to the HAC, an intergovernmental group of over 100 countries co-chaired by Costa Rica and France and by the United Kingdom as the Ocean co-chair. Together, HAC member countries hold more than 58% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity and more than 38% of the world’s terrestrial carbon stocks. HAC member countries hold more than 54% of the biodiversity conservation priorities that exist within marine exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and more than 54% of the seafloor carbon within EEZs.
Campaign for Nature condemns recent violence and evictions in Tanzania
June 20, 2022
The Campaign for Nature condemns the horrific reports of Tanzanian security forces violently evicting peoples from their ancestral lands and territories in the Ngorongoro District. The reported shootings, arrests of community leaders, and hundreds of people being forcibly driven from their homes is abhorrent.
We call for the immediate cessation of the violence, intimidation and evictions; for the perpetrators of violence to be held accountable; and for the rights of the Maasai to their lands and to their internationally recognized Indigenous rights to be respected.
Former Heads of State, Diplomats and Experts Call on Countries To Set Date For Nature Summit
May 17, 2022
While science shows that the crisis facing the natural world is accelerating, the U.N. process for addressing global biodiversity loss is at serious risk of further slowing down. Initially scheduled for October 2020, the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has already been delayed four times because of the COVID pandemic.
With no official date announced for COP15, there is growing concern among scientists and other experts that countries are failing to address the biodiversity crisis with the required leadership and commitment.
UN REPORT: Protecting Nature Critical to Ending Land, Biodiversity Crisis
April 27, 2022
Released today, the second edition of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’s (UNCCD) Global Land Outlook issues a stark warning about the state of the world’s land resources, with dire implications for people, biodiversity and economies.
It finds that 40% of the planet’s land is already degraded, which directly affects half of humanity and threatens roughly half of global GDP (US$44 trillion). And it projects that if business as usual continues through 2050, there will be additional degradation of an area the size of South America.
The report, released in advance of the UNCCD’s 15th session of the Conference of Parties to be held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire (COP15, 9-20 May), lays out an action plan for how to address the land crisis. While the emphasis is on restoration, nature conservation also plays a key role.
The report, for example, calls for the immediate financing for conservation and restoration in developing countries which are home to the greatest share of the global distribution of intact, biodiverse, and carbon-rich ecosystems.
A Message of Support for the South African People During This State of Climate Emergency
April 22, 2022
On April 22, their Excellencies, Ernest Bai Koroma, former President of Sierra Leone, Hailemariam Desalegn, former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, and Dr Ruhakana Rugunda former Prime Minister of Uganda, met with His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa. The three visiting leaders are part of a Global Steering Committee that are partnering with world leaders to stop the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, which is currently happening at an unprecedented rate. They issued the following statement:
When the meeting with His Excellency, President Ramaphosa, was scheduled, South Africa was not experiencing the tragic loss of life and infrastructure that has occurred as a result of recent flooding and fires. There are no words that can convey the sorrow and heartbreak we feel over this tragic disaster, and our deepest sympathies are with those who have lost their lives, homes, and their infrastructure. It is important to us that the people of South Africa know that we are united with them in grief and that it is felt in the hearts of all Africans and, indeed, all people of the world. We, therefore, feel honored that His Excellency, President Ramaphosa, could still meet with us, given the heartache and sorrow South Africa is currently feeling.
April 14, 2022
At the Our Ocean Conference in Palau today, the US announced it officially joined the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People, a group of more than 90 countries encouraging the adoption of the global goal to protect and conserve at least 30% of the planet— land and sea — by 2030, commonly referred to as “30x30.”
Scientists have issued repeated warnings that nature is in a state of crisis, threatened by habitat loss, pollution, overexploitation, invasive species, and climate change. The ongoing and rapid loss of natural areas across the world poses a grave threat to the health and security of all living things. However, overwhelming scientific evidence shows that conserving at least 30% of our global land and ocean can not only curb biodiversity loss and prevent extinctions but also store carbon, help prevent future pandemics, and bolster economic growth.
The Biden administration has already pledged to conserve 30% of the United States’ land and sea; it is now pushing for the goal to be adopted at the global scale. The announcement follows the Biden administration’s launch yesterday of a $1 billion program—called the America the Beautiful Challenge—to advance its national 30x30 goal.
March 23, 2022
A global network of mayors and local government leaders seeks to break down barrier between protection and economic development through greater protection of fish-rich waters
Coastal community mayors and local government leaders from 8 countries have issued a statement calling for both the protection and responsible use of coastal waters, which they say benefit the world’s coastal habitats and many of the 500 million people worldwide who depend on fisheries for food and income.
The statement asserts that by “combining local efforts to protect critical biodiversity with effective co-management for coastal fisheries, we can ensure food security, support the productive economy, safeguard livelihoods, and contribute to achieving national and global biodiversity targets including 30x30.”
The Coastal 500 group consists of over 110 mayors and other city-level leaders from the countries of Brazil, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Mozambique, Palau, and the Philippines.
March 10, 2022
Led by former US Senator Russ Feingold and comprised of eight former Heads of State, two former Prime Ministers, six former Ministers, and four environmental and Indigenous and local experts, the Campaign for Nature’s Global Steering Committee (GSC) has released a joint statement asserting that the success of an upcoming global biodiversity agreement hinges on the adoption of the global, science-backed 30x30 target.
The statement urged governments that have not yet endorsed the global 30x30 goal to join the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (HAC), a group of countries championing the target on a global scale. Many GSC members hail from countries that have not yet signed on in support of the HAC including the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa, Thailand, and Iceland. Currently, HAC members include over 85 countries in Africa, Latin America, Europe, the Caribbean, Asia, and beyond.
March 1, 2022
Leading environment groups have agreed that the US, the countries of the European Union, the UK, Japan, Canada and other wealthy countries should support a target of at least $60 billion annually of international finance for biodiversity in developing countries. To stop biodiversity loss and achieve a nature-positive economy, this financing effort must be part of a broader and holistic package to close the biodiversity finance gap, including increased domestic and private finance for biodiversity and the elimination of public and private investments that are harmful to biodiversity.
The recommended $60 billion figure was released in advance of a major round of United Nations biodiversity negotiations set to take place in Geneva, Switzerland this month—an important moment on the road to the final biodiversity summit in Kunming, China later this year.
January 11, 2022
As the role played by Indigenous Peoples and local communities in safeguarding the planet gains long-due recognition by global climate and conservation initiatives, their representatives and allies have launched a new mechanism to finance locally-led efforts with full respect for the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
The Community Land Rights and Conservation Finance Initiative (CLARIFI), led by the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) and Campaign for Nature (C4N), will mobilize and strategically deploy public and private funds to scale up the legal recognition of Indigenous Peoples’, Afro-descendant Peoples’, and local communities’ rights, as well as their efforts to strengthen their conservation of natural resources, traditional livelihoods, and gender justice.
About 1.8 billion Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and local communities claim, inhabit and steward the earth’s most critical ecosystems, including its forests. Securing their rights and following their guidance is a powerful bottom-up opportunity to address the catastrophic threats facing the planet. For example, RRI estimates that 33% of the Earth’s tropical forest carbon is at risk without recognizing community rights to their lands. Securing these rights will avoid 1.1 to 7.4 GtC02e of emissions.
Costa Rica, California Forge Ahead on Nature Protection Despite Biodiversity Negotiation Delays
December 17, 2021
Seeking to protect one of the most biodiverse waterways in the world from industrial fishing, the Costa Rican government announced today it is expanding Cocos Island National Park by 27 times. The waters surrounding the tropical Pacific island teems with wildlife, including sharks, rays, dolphins, turtles and whales.
The government also unveiled the Bicentennial Marine Managed Area, twice the size of the expanded Cocos Island National Park, which will include some no-take areas and strengthen fisheries management. The expansion of the Cocos Island National Park from an area of 2,034 km 2 to 54,844 km 2 and the Bicentennial Marine Management Area from an area of 9,649 km 2 to 106,285.56 km 2 expands the country’s protection of its ocean from 2.7% of its waters to approximately 30%. With these marine protected area expansions, Costa Rica is leading in its global ambition and drive to achieve the global goal of protecting at least 30% of the planet - land and sea - by 2030.
Earlier this week, California released a draft strategy of its plans to protect 30x30, opening it up for public comment. The strategy, Pathways to 30x30: Accelerating Conservation of California’s Nature, seeks to accelerate the protection of the state’s land and ocean through collaboration with the federal and local governments, Native American Tribes, and private landowners.
COP26: Canada Announces $1 Billion in Funding for Nature Protection: Madagascar, Nepal and Mauritania Announce Membership of High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, Bringing the Number of Countries Pushing to Protect 30% of the Planet by 2030 Up to 77
November 6, 2021
At a Nature Day event at COP26, Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault announced Canada will allocate at least 20% of its $5.3 billion climate finance commitment—about a total of $1 billion—to nature-based climate solutions with biodiversity co-benefits in developing countries over the next five years.
Also on Saturday, Madagascar, Nepal and Mauritania—three countries rich in biodiversity—announced their membership of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (HAC). The group of 77 countries is pushing to ensure that 30x30 is a core element of a global biodiversity treaty to be finalized next year.
Madagascar and Mauritania are among the many African countries that have joined the HAC. Nepal joins other South Asia members, including Pakistan, the Republic of Bhutan and India, which joined the HAC in October 2021.
COP26: Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Panama Announce New Protections for “Ocean Highway”: Boris Johnson praises new marine protected area; Colombia announces collaboration with leading oceanographer on new expedition to explore second area
November 2, 2021
Drawing attention to the critical yet overlooked role oceans play in keeping the planet cool—in addition to safeguarding species and supporting food security—the leaders of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Panama launched a new marine protected area to be called the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR).
The new area serves as a thoroughfare for tuna, hammerhead sharks, sea turtles, whales and other animals. These animals move along the ocean corridor to feed, meet each other, reproduce, and give birth. As a result, the Eastern Tropical Pacific is also one of the most abundant fishing areas in the world, providing millions in South America with food and incomes. And it is home to coastal mangroves, which protect people against tropical storms.
G20 Rome Leaders’ Declaration Recognizes 30x30
October 31, 2021
In a statement adopted today by the G20, the intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union, recognized the importance of protecting 30% of the planet by 2030.
The declaration states: “We recognize the efforts made by a number of countries to adhere to the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature and to ensure that at least 30 % of global land and at least 30 % of the global ocean and seas are conserved or protected by 2030, and we will help to make progress towards this objective in accordance with national circumstances.”
G20 members include Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa and other biodiversity-rich countries that have yet to join a growing global effort to endorse the global goal to protect 30x30.
India Joins Coalition of Countries Pushing for Global Goal to Protect 30% of the Earth by 2030
October 7, 2021
At a ceremony held between the French and Indian governments today, India officially joined the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, a group of more than 70 countries encouraging the adoption of the global goal to protect 30x30.
HAC members currently include a mix of countries in the global north and south; European, Latin American, Africa and Asian countries are among the members. India is the first of the BRICS bloc of major emerging economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) to join the HAC.
India’s announcement comes in the leadup to a high-level biodiversity meeting, hosted by China. The virtual meeting to take place October 11-15 will tackle key aspects of the biodiversity treaty to be finalized in 2022. The global 30x30 goal is currently a centerpiece of the treaty, known as the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
Major new commitments and finance for nature ahead of global biodiversity summit
September 22, 2021
Over 20 heads of state, as well as business, philanthropy and Indigenous leaders, made major funding announcements and conservation commitments today at the Transformative Action for Nature and People, a UN General Assembly side event, which aimed to build momentum ahead of the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which will begin on October 11, 2021.
One effort, the global push to protect and conserve at least 30% of the world’s lands, freshwater and oceans by 2030, gained major traction today as leaders of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (HAC) committed to new conservation action and announced that 72 countries now support the global goal. Together, the HAC country members harbor 42% of land biodiversity and 30% of terrestrial carbon stocks, 44% of ocean biodiversity conservation priority areas and 46% of sediment carbon (and 30% of carbon at risk from bottom trawling) in exclusive economic zones. Additionally, among the HAC, the Global Ocean Alliance--a coalition of countries that support protecting at least 30% of the world’s ocean--and other initiatives, over 100 countries now support the ocean “30by30” target.
September 10, 2021
Marseille, France (10 September 2021)—Members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature meeting in France for the World Conservation Congress approved today a much-anticipated motion to protect at least 30% of land and ocean by 2030, known as 30x30. Motion 101 calls on IUCN members to support:
recognition of “the evolving science, the majority of which supports protecting, conserving and restoring at least half or more of the planet is likely necessary to reverse biodiversity loss, address climate change and as a foundation for sustainably managing the whole planet.”
“at a minimum, a target of effectively and equitably protecting and conserving at least 30% of terrestrial areas and of inland waters … and of coastal and marine areas, respectively, with a focus on sites of particular importance for biodiversity, in well-connected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) by 2030 in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.”
“the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples and work towards the implementation of all protection, conservation and restoration activities with the free, prior, and informed consent of indigenous peoples, and with appropriate recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples to their lands, territories and resources, as set out under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and full respect for their diverse knowledge systems”
“the full and effective participation of local communities in the protection, conservation and restoration activities, with the recognition of customary and local governance practices as appropriate, along with their diverse knowledge system”
New Report: Across Africa, Economic Growth is Rooted in Protecting Nature
August 24, 2021
Africa’s prosperity depends on preserving its vast natural wealth, yet the continent’s natural capital stocks are dwindling rapidly, concludes a new report released today by the German government.
The report, one of the most comprehensive assessments to date of the strong links between Africa’s development and nature protection, is the latest study to lay out evidence that economic recovery and nature protection are closely intertwined. It emphasizes that investing in nature is a critical development strategy, with benefits that are 8-9 times the costs.
Written by a team of researchers from Germany, Morocco, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar and Côte d’Ivoire, the study shows that the continent’s most important economic sectors--including agriculture, fishing, tourism and hydropower--will thrive if nature is protected. The study also points to the critical role nature plays in building resilience against the impacts of climate change, including natural hazards and disasters.
The report embraces human rights and social justice as foundational principles to conservation, and calls for the participation and inclusion of local and Indigenous communities. It argues that nature conservation can only succeed in partnership with those living directly with, and relying on, nature.
UN Announces Delay of Biodiversity Summit—But World Must Step Up Momentum on Protecting Nature
August 18, 2021
Following the first draft of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), officials announced today new dates for the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15). The biodiversity summit, where 196 countries will agree on an action plan for ending the nature crisis, is now scheduled to take place in two parts: virtually in October 2021 from the 11 to the 15 and in person April 25 through May 8, 2022 in Kunming, China. The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA), the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI), and the Open Ended Working Group (OEWG) will hold face-to-face meetings in January 2022 in Switzerland.
The aim of the delay is to allow for equitable and safe face-to-face negotiations before and at COP15 which, due to the coronavirus pandemic, cannot happen before the initial date set for October 2021.
Despite the meeting’s delay, the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, a coalition of 65 countries led by Costa Rica, France and the United Kingdom, are driving forward with ambitious plans to protect and conserve nature and donor nations are beginning to commit to increase finance for nature.
July 12, 2021
Officials released today “Draft 1” of a global biodiversity framework--known as the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)--that includes three elements critical to addressing catastrophic biodiversity loss and the extinction crisis: a target to protect at least 30% of the world’s land and ocean by 2030, a target to retain intact natural areas, and a commitment to respect Indigenous Peoples’ and Local Communities’ rights over their lands, territories and resources.
Nature is in a state of crisis, which poses a threat as serious as climate change to the future of humanity. Evidence shows that the ongoing and rapid loss of natural areas across the world poses a grave threat to the health and security of all living things.
July 1, 2021
A World Bank report released today argues that policies safeguarding nature deliver a long list of valuable benefits, including pollination, food provision and timber from native forests, that deliver a win-win for biodiversity and economies. The Economic Case for Nature finds that if the world fails to protect nature, we could lose $2.7 trillion in global GDP annually, with countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia particularly hard hit.
Building off recent reports laying out the economic benefits of protecting nature and following a major proclamation by G7 nations that protecting nature is an urgent priority, the report uses a first-of-its-kind analysis to reveal the extent to which valuing and protecting nature is a key development issue.
It makes the case that nature-smart policies that preserve ecosystem service benefits would increase global GDP by $50-150 billion compared to business as usual and reduce the risk of ecosystem collapse and an associated potential reduction in GDP of 2.3%. Other reports have highlighted additional benefits of protecting nature, including the expansion of nature-based tourism, which is an important source of economic growth in many developing countries.
The report notes that ambitious targets, like the global effort to protect 30% of land and ocean by 2030, are achievable and play a crucial role in unlocking these benefits.
June 13, 2021
Today G7 Heads of State announced a joint commitment to a historic “Nature Compact” during their meeting in Cornwall, UK. The Nature Compact is the most wide-ranging and ambitious set of coordinated actions to address the crisis facing nature ever agreed to by G7 countries.
Three of the Campaign for Nature’s key priorities feature prominently in the G7 Nature Compact, including:
An agreement to support new global targets to protect and conserve at least 30% of global land and at least 30% of global ocean by 2030. The agreement states that the nations will lead by example by effectively protecting and conserving the same percentage of their national land, inland waters and coastal and marine areas by 2030.
A commitment to prioritize the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in co-design, decision-making and implementation of the systems change needed for the Nature Compact’s success.
A pledge to dramatically increase investment in nature from all sources including the percentage of public climate finance directed towards nature.
Additionally, through the Nature Compact, G7 countries are committed to tackling the biodiversity and climate crises in an integrated manner, addressing deforestation through reforms in supply chains, redirecting subsidies that are harmful to nature, curtailing overfishing and ocean pollution, restoring degraded ecosystems, and holding themselves accountable for their actions.
June 10, 2021
A new, peer-reviewed report by 50 climate and biodiversity experts released today asserts that biodiversity loss and climate change are both driven by human economic activities and mutually reinforce each other, and that neither will be successfully resolved unless both are tackled together.
The report findings echo a recent communiqué by G7 leaders calling for greater and more coordinated climate and biodiversity action.
Studies have shown that climate change is one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss and that ecosystems and species play a major function in regulating climate, as carbon sinks, as well as enhancing adaptation and resilience to climate change.
May 22, 2021
On the occasion of World Biodiversity Day, a growing number of elected officials, Indigenous leaders, scientists, and other experts are calling on ASEAN leaders to endorse ambitious proposals to protect biodiversity and advance Indigenous rights through the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
After a year-long delay, the official negotiations of the Convention on Biological Diversity have resumed this month and are scheduled to conclude in Kunming, China this October. As delegates from 196 countries--including all of the ASEAN member states--participate in the negotiations, eyes are on the ASEAN region. As one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet, ASEAN member states have a crucial role to play in developing a successful global strategy to safeguard biodiversity. ASEAN is a leader of the Like-Minded Megadiverse Countries that champion conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity since its inception in 2002 and harbours 70% of global biodiversity.
New Report Reinforces Need for Human Rights to be at Center of Global Biodiversity Agreement
May 20, 2021
Today, the ICCA Consortium released its Territories of Life: 2021 Report. The report includes the most up-to-date analysis of how much of the planet is likely conserved by Indigenous Peoples and local communities, estimating that they are conserving more than 22% of the extent of the world’s Key Biodiversity Areas on land and at least 21% of the world’s lands. The report also found that Indigenous Peoples and local communities are the de facto custodians of many existing state and private protected and conserved areas, without being recognized as such, underscoring the critical need for equitable governance and the importance of ensuring that all existing and new protected and conserved areas fully respect Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ rights.
In addition to providing updated spatial analyses and related findings, the report details 17 case studies of territories of life from five continents, highlighting concrete examples of how Indigenous Peoples and local communities sustain our planet and describing what types of actions are needed to better support them, their rights, and their contributions to biodiversity.
New Report Points to Promise of Protecting 30X30
May 19, 2021
Today, the United Nations and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) launched a final report card on progress towards Aichi Target 11 – the global 10-year target on protected and conserved areas that expired in 2020.
The report finds that the size of protected areas has grown significantly, with the 17% target for land-based conservation and the 10% goal for ocean conservation nearly met. This progress demonstrates the ability of protected area targets to help drive action from countries around the world, and the report authors make it clear that more protections are needed moving forward in order to help address the crisis of global biodiversity loss. They note that there are still many areas important for biodiversity and ecosystem services that lack protection, and they highlight that the entire network of protected and conserved areas must be more effectively managed.
“America the Beautiful” Report Lays Out Plan to Protect 30% of U.S. Land and Waters
May 6, 2021
Today the Biden administration released its “America the Beautiful” report. The report lays out guidance for the implementation of the administration’s ambitious plan to protect 30% of the U.S.’s land and sea by 2030.
It provides a vision for a first-of-its-kind decade-long, locally led nationwide effort across public, private, and Tribal lands and waters to restore and conserve America’s lands, waters, and wildlife buoyed by federal support. The report made clear that private land conservation efforts will be voluntary.
April 27, 2021
Last week, at Biden’s Earth Day Summit, world leaders made bold and sweeping pledges to slash greenhouse gas emissions—a critical step toward achieving the Paris climate agreement. At the same time, heads of state from France, the U.K., Germany, Gabon and Costa Rica, among others speaking at the Summit, made the powerful case that we can’t solve the climate crisis without tackling the biodiversity crisis.
Benefits The Ocean Provides Are Increasingly Being Undermined By Our Actions
April 21, 2021
Today, the United Nations launched its Second World Ocean Assessment on the global state of the world’s oceans.
“The Second World Ocean Assessment warns that many benefits that the ocean provides to humankind are increasingly being undermined by our actions. [...] The findings of this assessment underscore the urgency of ambitious outcomes in this year’s biodiversity, climate and other high-level summits and events. Together we can foster not only a green, but also a blue recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and help ensure the long-term resilience and sustainable relationship with the ocean,” said UN Secretary General António Guterres in his remarks at the assessment’s launch.
New IMF Report Says Green Investment A Win-Win for Economies and the Planet
March 22, 2021
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released a new report that--for the first time--provides conclusive evidence that investments in renewable energy and biodiversity conservation do more to boost a country’s GDP than investments in fossil fuels and activities that destroy ecosystems. The findings laid out in the IMF Working Paper, Building Back Better: How Big Are Green Spending Multipliers?, are based on a new international dataset that is the first to gather and compare the impacts on GDP of spending on green and non-eco-friendly energy and land use.
March 17, 2021
A new study published in the prestigious peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature today offers a combined solution to several of humanity’s most pressing challenges. It is the most comprehensive assessment to date of where strict ocean protection can contribute to a more abundant supply of healthy seafood and provide a cheap, natural solution to address climate change—in addition to protecting embattled species and habitats.
An international team of 26 authors identified specific areas that, if protected, would safeguard over 80% of the habitats for endangered marine species, and increase fishing catches by more than eight million metric tons. The study is also the first to quantify the potential release of carbon dioxide into the ocean from trawling, a widespread fishing practice—and finds that trawling is pumping hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the ocean every year, a volume of emissions similar to those of aviation.
U.S. Representative Deb Haaland Confirmed as Secretary of Interior
March 15, 2021
Secretary Haaland has been at the forefront of efforts to conserve at least 30 percent of the land and ocean in the United States by 2030. Prior to her nomination, Sec. Haaland was the lead sponsor of a resolution supporting the 30x30 goal and served as an honorary member of the Campaign for Nature’s Global Steering Committee, which advocates for the 30x30 target at the global level.
In response to today’s confirmation, the Campaign for Nature made the following statements:
Enric Sala, Explorer in Residence, National Geographic and the author of the award winning book The Nature of Nature, Why We Need the Wild. @enric_sala
“The news of Secretary Haaland’s confirmation marks a big win for the U.S. in recognizing the important role Native Americans and Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) have— and should— play in how policies are created and implemented when it comes to the conservation and protection of nature. […]
U.S. Re-enters Paris Climate Agreement
February 19, 2021
Today marks the U.S.’s official reinstatement into the Paris Climate Agreement, which President Biden rejoined hours after his inauguration on January 20, 2021. As the U.S rejoins the world in this historic climate accord, the Campaign for Nature has issued the following statement:
Enric Sala, Explorer in Residence, National Geographic and the author of the award winning book The Nature of Nature, Why We Need the Wild. @enric_sala
“Today marks a new beginning for the U.S. It is an opportunity to reset its ambitions and to reestablish its leadership on the global stage in combating climate change. This move, along with the Biden administration’s signal to set the United States on a path to conserve 30% of the U.S – land and at sea – by 2030 (30x30), demonstrates that the country is prepared to lead on the two largest crises facing our planet.”
February 2, 2021
Destined to be as critically important as the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review was commissioned by the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, and released today, February 2nd.
The Dasgupta Review marks a major inflection point in global political economic discourse that puts forward a new economic paradigm in the same way that Adam Smith did in his time. The review calls for urgent and transformative change in how we think, act and measure economic success to protect and enhance our prosperity, and the natural world. As decision makers worldwide begin to rebuild economies in the wake of Covid 19, this Review should be a guide and catalyst for fundamental change.
President Biden’s National Target to Protect 30% of U.S. Lands and Oceans by 2030
January 27, 2021
The Campaign for Nature, issued the following statement:
Enric Sala, Explorer in Residence, National Geographic and the author of the award winning book The Nature of Nature, Why We Need the Wild.
Today's announcement by President Biden is a win for the people of the United States and the rest of the world, the environment, and the economy. Only by protecting the earth's climate and biodiversity can we truly be on a path to an inclusive and prosperous future for humanity.
By promising to set the United States on a path to conserve 30% of the U.S by 2030 (30x30) – on land and at sea – President Biden has proposed the most ambitious conservation agenda of any president in American history. Such vision addresses the scale of the challenges facing our climate and the natural world. Only by rapidly accelerating the pace of conservation will we stand a chance to slow the warming of our planet and prevent a climate catastrophe, and to reverse the loss of biodiversity, which many experts have warned is the beginning of a Sixth Mass Extinction and the collapse of humanity’s life support system.
50 Countries Announce Bold Commitment to Protect at Least 30% of the World’s Land and Ocean by 2030
January 11, 2021
As the natural world continues to disappear at an unprecedented rate, a group of over 50 countries—which (as of 10 January 2021) together harbour 30% of global terrestrial biodiversity (using vertebrates as a proxy) and a quarter of the world’s terrestrial carbon stores (biomass and soil), and 28% of ocean biodiversity priority areas and over a third of the ocean carbon stores—have announced their commitment to protect at least 30% of the globe’s land and ocean by 2030, and to champion an ambitious global deal to halt species loss and protect ecosystems that are vital to human health and economic security. Their announcement kicks off what Costa Rica, France and the United Kingdom call an urgent year for action on biodiversity and the climate.
Launched today at the One Planet Summit for biodiversity, the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People, which is co-chaired by Costa Rica, France and the United Kingdom, brings together over 50 governments from across six continents aiming to secure a global agreement to protect at least 30% of the planet’s land and at least 30% of the planet's ocean by 2030 at the Convention on Biological Diversity COP15, which will be held this year in Kunming, China.
December 21, 2020
The Campaign for Nature’s Global Steering Committee -- composed of former heads of state, foreign ministers and diplomats from four continents -- was established earlier this year to call on governments worldwide to support a new global goal to protect at least 30% of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030, which is shown by scientists to be the minimum amount needed to halt global biodiversity loss. The Committee is led by former US Senator and former Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region of Africa, Russ Feingold.
Today, the Global Steering Committee sent letters to Secretary-Designate Antony Blinken and Secretary John Kerry urging them to ensure that any climate strategy developed by the incoming Biden Administration includes an emphasis on biodiversity conservation.
Rep. Deb Haaland Nominated for Secretary of the Interior
December 17, 2020
The Campaign for Nature has issued the following responses:
Director of Campaign for Nature, Brian O’Donnell said:
“Representative Deb Haaland is an outstanding pick to lead the Department of the Interior. She has been a leader in the Congress in protecting lands and wildlife and advancing equity and social justice. This is a proud day for the United States. A department that has disenfranchised Indigenous people and dispossessed them of their territories throughout its history will now be run by an Indigenous woman. Her nomination won’t right the wrongs of the past, but it is a step forward that is long overdue.”
Key Fishing Nations Endorse the Protection of 30% of the Ocean
December 2, 2020
Today, the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (Ocean Panel), composed of 14 serving world leaders, is putting forward a new ocean action agenda for building a sustainable ocean economy where protection, production and prosperity go hand in hand. In addition to releasing commitments and policy actions designed to transform how the world can protect and use the ocean and ultimately sustainably manage humanity’s impacts on it, the Ocean Panel will also release a new comprehensive report spotlighting ways to accelerate, scale and finance ocean action.
October 29, 2020
Today, leaders from 190 countries were scheduled to gather in Kunming, China for final negotiations on a biodiversity treaty designed to address the world’s urgent extinction crises. Instead, these leaders are at home, battling the spread of a zoonotic disease that likely emerged from deforestation and the destruction of natural habitats.
A timely new report by The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) asserts that preventing future pandemics before they emerge requires targeted action to address the underlying causes of pandemics--which are the same global environmental changes that drive biodiversity loss and climate change.
Protecting Our Land and Ocean Relies on Rights for Indigenous Peoples
September 23, 2020
A complement to the fifth edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook, the second Local Biodiversity Outlooks assesses the views and contributions of Indigenous and Local Communities (IPLCs) to the conservation of biodiversity, finding their their vital role has been “disregarded,” to date, marking a “missed opportunity” as the world seeks to address the dual challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.
The report argues that IPLCs are critical partners in protecting biodiversity, and that because the majority of the world’s most biodiverse areas are found within their ancestral lands, securing their rights to land would secure biodiversity.
September 15, 2020
The Fifth edition of the United Nations Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-5) released today paints a painful picture of the intensifying collapse of the natural world with none of the targets set in Aichi ten years ago fully met. The report makes clear that this unprecedented failure is due to human pressure on our natural world and the lack of political prioritization and funding to protect, preserve and restore biodiversity and the ecosystem services that we rely on to survive.
One of the few positives in the analysis is the progress that countries have made in protecting more of the natural world.
Economic Benefits of Protecting 30% of Planet’s Land and Ocean Outweigh the Costs at Least 5-to-1
July 8, 2020
In the most comprehensive report to date on the economic implications of protecting nature, over 100 economists and scientists find that the global economy would benefit from the establishment of far more protected areas on land and at sea than exist today. The report considers various scenarios of protecting at least 30% of the world’s land and ocean to find that the benefits outweigh the costs by a ratio of at least 5-to-1. The report offers new evidence that the nature conservation sector drives economic growth, delivers key non-monetary benefits and is a net contributor to a resilient global economy.
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To Recover from the Global Recession, We must Invest in Nature
June 17, 2020 Ranging from former heads of state to former foreign ministers and diplomats, we have come together to serve as the Global Steering Committee for the Campaign for Nature. We come from regions around the world and are united by the belief that the destruction of the natural world is an urgent issue for our economies, our health, and the overall wellbeing of mankind.
Statement on COVID-19 : World Environment Day 2020
June 5, 2020 We are joining forces to call on all governments around the world to retain our precious intact ecosystems and wilderness, to preserve and effectively manage at least 30% of our planet’s lands and oceans by 2030, and to restore and conserve biodiversity, as a crucial step to help prevent future pandemics and public health emergencies, and lay the foundations for a sustainable global economy through job creation and human well-being.
Chancellor Merkel sees biodiversity crisis partly responsible for pandemics
April 29, 2020 The Campaign for Nature welcomes the Chancellor's clear statement at the 11th Petersberg Climate Dialogue, in which she points out the close link between the biodiversity crisis and pandemics such as Covid-19. According to scientists, 60 percent of all infectious diseases have been transmitted from animals to humans in recent decades. This is "particularly due to the increased use of previously undisturbed habitats and the resulting proximity to wild animals.” Merkel warns that progress must be made in the international protection of biodiversity and that a new framework for the protection of biodiversity is therefore necessary by next year's 15th UN Conference on the Implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Earth Day: Reimagining our Relationship with Nature
April 22, 2020 Today, as the world celebrates the 50th Earth Day, individuals and leaders around the world are reimagining our relationship with nature. There is a growing recognition that the accelerating destruction of nature is contributing to the major challenges of our time: climate change, mass wildlife extinction, and more clearly than ever this year, the spread of infectious diseases.
Experts: Nature Critical to G20’s Economic Recovery Plans
April 15, 2020 This week, finance ministers from the Group of Twenty (G20) and central bank governors are meeting to lay out an economic recovery plan to address the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on all countries, including the world’s poorest economies.
Biodiversity Loss A Top Global Risk in the Coming Decade
January 15, 2020 Today, the World Economic Forum released a new report outlining the findings of its annual Global Risks Perception Survey. Environmental concerns dominate the top long-term risks identified by survey participants, with “major biodiversity loss” named the second-most-impactful and third-most-likely risk for the next decade. The report notes its potential “irreversible consequences for the environment, resulting in severely depleted resources for humankind as well as industries.”
UN Convention on Biodiversity Proposes Protection of at Least 30 Percent of the Planet by 2030
January 12, 2020 Today, the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity released its ‘zero draft’ text proposal for a post-2020 global biodiversity framework. Featured in the text is a target to protect at least 30% of the planet — land and sea — by 2030.
Can we avoid a climate catastrophe?
January 1, 2020 The daughter of Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente recalls that the recommendations of scientists are clear: we must abandon fossil fuels and reach a neutral society in 2050.
Letter: Former US Members of Congress Voice Bipartisan Support of 30x30
October 21, 2019 Former members of the United States Congress enthusiastically endorse the global goal of protecting at least 30 percent of the planet by 2030.
As a group of Democrats and Republicans, we hope to underscore the need for bipartisan action - both domestically and internationally - to confront this escalating challenge.
Protecting 30 Percent of the Ocean is Key to Reducing the Impacts of Climate Change
September 25, 2019 A UN special report on ocean and cryosphere makes it very clear how human and natural communities will be affected by the impacts of climate change. The report shows we are exploiting our fisheries faster than they can be renewed, and if global warming moves from 1.5°C to 2°C above pre industrial levels, worsening of extreme weather, rising sea levels and loss of biodiversity—will be exacerbated.
Costa Rica calls for a Global Coalition of Champions to Protect Nature
September 22, 2019 Today, on the eve of the United Nations Secretary General’s Climate Summit, President Carlos Alvarado Quesada of Costa Rica, called for the formation of a High Ambition Coalition of nations to push for a Deal for Nature that will protect 30% of the planet by 2030.
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Katy Roxburgh
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Campaign for Nature
katy@campaignfornature.com
JOINT STATEMENT AND SUPPORTING PARTNERS
Joint statement on the post-2020 biodiversity framework
Thirteen conservation organizations joined together to encourage the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity to develop a post-2020 framework for biodiversity that sets clear, measurable targets for conservation — including a goal to protect 30 percent of the planet by 2030.
The Science Behind 30%
Take a deep dive into the latest scientific reports supporting 30% by 2030.
Photographs by: Alex Paullin, National Geographic); Enric Sala, National Geographic (Joint Statement); Enric Sala, National Geographic (The Science Behond 30%).