The "30 by 30" initiative, also written as "30 × 30," is a global effort for governments to set aside 30% of Earth's land and ocean areas as protected places by the year 2030. This goal was first suggested in a 2019 article published in Science Advances, titled "A Global Deal for Nature: Guiding principles, milestones, and targets," which emphasized the importance of increasing nature protection to help reduce the effects of climate change. The initiative was started by the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People in 2020. By January 2021, more than 50 countries had agreed to support the plan, and by October 2022, over 100 nations had joined.

In September 2021, $5 billion was announced to fund a project called the "Protecting Our Planet Challenge" to support the initiative.

In December 2022, the "30 by 30" goal was officially adopted during the COP15 meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity. It became part of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which includes the G7 and the European Union.

The initiative has raised concerns about issues related to the rights of Indigenous peoples.

Global

The "30 by 30" goal is the third of 23 global biodiversity targets for the year 2030 in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which was adopted in December 2022.

European Union

The European Commission introduced its Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 on May 20, 2020, as the European Union's part of a global plan to protect biodiversity after 2020. The strategy includes goals and actions to be completed by 2030, such as:

• Expanding the European Union's network of protected land and sea areas, including growing Natura 2000 areas, and giving strong protection to places with high biodiversity and climate importance.
• Restoring damaged ecosystems and managing them in a way that helps the environment, by setting specific targets for nature restoration.
• Improving how the European Union manages biodiversity efforts, including more funding, better tracking of progress, and making sure biodiversity goals are part of decisions made by governments and businesses.

The plan aims to protect 30% of the European Union's land by 2030 and 10% of it with strict protection. However, as of 2023, the European Union is not meeting these goals.

The biodiversity strategy is a key part of the European Green Deal and is meant to help the environment recover after the COVID-19 pandemic.

In July 2023, after many discussions, the European Parliament approved a version of the Nature Restoration Law, which seeks to restore nature on 20% of the European Union's land by 2030.

In 2024, the European Union passed a Nature Restoration Law that aims to restore 20% of damaged ecosystems by 2030 and 100% by 2050.

United States

On January 27, 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order titled "Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad." This order included several plans to address the climate crisis. One plan required federal departments to create a report within 90 days, suggesting ways the United States could work with state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments, agricultural and forest landowners, fishermen, and other important groups to protect at least 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030.

On May 6, 2022, the Biden administration released a report called Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful. This report, sent to the National Climate Task Force, described proposed ideas, actions, and early areas of focus for a national campaign to protect and restore lands and waters that people rely on. The report involved agencies such as the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Commerce, and the Council on Environmental Quality.

The report listed eight principles to guide the effort:
• Work together with many groups to protect nature
• Protect lands and waters for the benefit of everyone
• Support local communities to lead conservation efforts
• Respect Tribal sovereignty and support Tribal Nations’ goals
• Use conservation to create jobs and help communities stay healthy
• Respect private property rights and support voluntary efforts by landowners and fishers
• Use science to make decisions
• Use existing tools and strategies with flexibility

The report also outlined six early focus areas:
• Create more parks and outdoor spaces in communities with little access to nature
• Support conservation and restoration efforts led by Tribal Nations
• Work together to protect fish and wildlife habitats and migration paths
• Improve access to outdoor activities
• Encourage and reward conservation efforts by fishers, ranchers, farmers, and forest owners
• Create jobs through investments in restoration and resilience

The report suggested using an online tool called the American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas to track progress. This tool would show maps and data about lands and waters protected and restored. It also proposed an annual report called America the Beautiful to share updates on wildlife populations and conservation progress.

On October 7, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order stating the goal to protect at least 30 percent of California’s land and coastal waters by 2030. The order required state agencies to develop and share strategies to meet this goal by February 1, 2022. It also created the California Biodiversity Collaborative, which includes government officials, Tribal representatives, experts, and other groups.

The official report, Pathways to 30×30 California, was released by the California Natural Resources Agency on April 22, 2022. This report described ten strategies to achieve California’s biodiversity and protected area goals by 2030:
1. Speed up conservation efforts led by local communities
2. Buy land strategically to protect natural areas
3. Increase voluntary agreements to protect land
4. Improve protection of public lands and coastal waters
5. Make sure environmental damage is prevented before it happens
6. Expand efforts to restore nature and care for it
7. Improve communication between government groups
8. Use money wisely to help conservation
9. Support other actions that help protect nature
10. Measure results and adjust plans as needed

Controversies and International Reactions

Despite positive news about a global environmental decision, some scientists have questioned whether the policy will help protect biodiversity. For example, Hélène Soubelet pointed out that in Germany, the number of insects in protected areas has dropped by nearly 80% over the past 60 years. This challenges the idea that protected areas always help save wildlife. Kareiva, Lalasz, and Marvier added that the rate at which species are disappearing has increased, even though the number of protected areas grew from less than 10,000 in 1950 to over 100,000 in 2009. Some scientists believe that simply increasing the number of protected areas does not necessarily slow the loss of biodiversity.

S. Counsel noted that the goal of protecting 30% of Earth’s land and ocean may not be enough. There is no guarantee that the areas chosen for protection will be the most important ones for saving wildlife. Wealthier countries might select large natural areas to protect, but this could fail to benefit plants and animals if the areas are not ecologically significant.

Some groups argue that the 30% target is not based on scientific agreement. They question why the number is 30% instead of 25% or 35%. Others suggest that 50% of land and ocean areas should be protected, as part of a plan called the "Half-Earth Project."

However, some researchers say that the quality of protected areas matters more than their total number. If more areas are added without enough money for enforcement or management, resources may be stretched too thin, reducing the effectiveness of protection. These poorly managed areas are sometimes called "paper parks" because they exist legally but lack real protection. In some cases, expanding protected areas might still help wildlife if threats are focused near the edges of reserves, creating safe core areas that are harder for harmful activities to reach.

The 30 by 30 initiative has been criticized for possibly involving "green colonialism" or "green grabbing," which refers to taking land without proper consent. In November 2022, NGOs like Amnesty International, Minority Rights Group International, and Rainforest Foundation UK warned that the plan could harm human and Indigenous rights. Critics argue that the plan risks taking Indigenous lands under the name of conservation. The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs called the plan "green colonialism" because it ignores Indigenous land rights.

At COP15, 196 countries discussed the 30 by 30 target, with many disagreeing about its adoption. The final agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity, was signed by all countries except the United States and the Vatican. A negotiator from the Democratic Republic of the Congo objected, saying the agreement lacked funding. After a delay, the Chinese environment minister overruled the objection due to a legal technicality. Delegates from the DRC, Cameroon, and Uganda were reportedly unhappy with the outcome. The DRC later said it would not accept the agreement as valid.