"30 by 30" (or "30 × 30") is a global effort for governments to protect 30% of Earth's land and ocean areas by 2030. This goal was first suggested in a 2019 article in Science Advances titled "A Global Deal for Nature: Guiding principles, milestones, and targets," which emphasized the importance of protecting nature to help reduce 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 it, and by October 2022, over 100 countries had joined.

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

In December 2022, the "30 by 30" goal was officially agreed to 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 caused debate about the rights of Indigenous people.

Global

The "30 by 30" goal is the third of 23 global goals to protect nature and wildlife by 2030. These goals are part of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which was agreed upon in December 2022.

European Union

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

• Expanding the European Union's protected areas on land and in the sea, such as Natura 2000 areas, and strictly protecting places with high biodiversity and climate importance.
• Restoring damaged ecosystems and managing them in a way that helps the environment, by setting required rules 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 EU's land by 2030 and strictly protect 10% of it. However, as of 2023, the EU 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 aims to restore nature on 20% of the EU's land by 2030.

In 2024, the European Union passed a Nature Restoration Law with the goal of restoring 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." The order included several actions to address the climate crisis. One action required federal departments to create a report within 90 days. This report would suggest ways the United States could work with state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments, along with farmers, fishermen, and other groups, to protect at least 30% of the nation’s lands and waters by 2030.

On May 6, 2022, the Biden administration released a report titled Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful. This report was sent to the National Climate Task Force and described the goals, rules, and early areas of focus for a national plan to protect and restore lands and waters over the next ten years. The plan would be led by local communities. Federal agencies involved in the effort included 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 outlined eight rules to guide the effort:
• Work together with many people and groups to protect nature
• Protect lands and waters for the benefit of everyone
• Support local communities in leading conservation efforts
• Respect the rights and goals of Native American tribes
• Help create jobs and support healthy communities through conservation
• Respect private landowners’ rights and support their efforts to care for land and water
• Use scientific research to guide decisions
• Use existing tools and strategies with flexibility and adaptability

The report also listed six early goals:
• Create more parks and outdoor spaces in areas with little access to nature
• Support conservation efforts led by Native American tribes
• Work together to protect habitats and movement paths for wildlife
• Improve access to outdoor activities
• Encourage and reward landowners, farmers, and fishermen who help protect nature
• Create jobs through restoration and resilience projects

The report proposed using an online tool called the American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas to track progress. This tool would show which lands and waters have been protected or restored. It also suggested publishing an annual report called America the Beautiful to share updates about wildlife and conservation efforts nationwide.

On October 7, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order stating the state’s goal to protect at least 30% of California’s land and coastal waters by 2030. The order asked state agencies to develop and share plans to reach this goal by February 1, 2022. It also created a group called the California Biodiversity Collaborative, which includes government officials, Native American leaders, experts, and other groups.

The official report, Pathways to 30×30 California, was released by the California Natural Resources Agency on April 22, 2022. The report describes ten strategies to help California meet its 2030 goals for biodiversity and protected areas:
1. Speed up conservation efforts led by local communities
2. Buy land strategically to protect nature
3. Increase agreements that allow landowners to protect their land
4. Improve protection of public lands and coastal waters
5. Make sure plans to reduce harm to nature are used early
6. Expand and speed up efforts to restore nature and care for the environment
7. Improve communication and teamwork between government groups
8. Use money in ways that help protect nature most
9. Support other actions that help protect the environment
10. Check how well conservation efforts work and adjust plans as needed.

Controversies and International Reactions

Some scientists have questioned whether the recent global environmental decision will effectively 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 suggests that protected areas may not always be successful in saving species. Kareiva, Lalasz, and Marvier also noted that the rate at which wild species are disappearing has increased, even though the number of protected areas has grown from less than 10,000 in 1950 to over 100,000 in 2009. This has led some researchers to argue that simply increasing the number of protected areas does not necessarily slow the loss of biodiversity.

S. Counsel explained that the goal of protecting 30% of Earth’s land and oceans may not be enough, as there is no guarantee that the chosen areas will be the most important for conservation. Wealthier nations might select large natural parks as protected areas without providing real benefits to plants and animals.

Some environmental groups have criticized the 30% target, saying it is not based on scientific agreement. They argue that the choice of 30% is arbitrary and question why not 25% or 35% instead. Some scientists and organizations suggest that protecting 50% of land and sea areas might be more effective, as part of a plan called the "Half Earth" project.

Other researchers believe that the quality of protected areas is more important than their total number. They warn that expanding protected areas without increasing funding for enforcement and management could waste limited resources and reduce the actual effectiveness of conservation efforts. Some experts say that improving protection, restoration, and management in existing areas should be a priority before creating new ones. Poorly managed protected areas are sometimes called "paper parks" because they exist legally but lack real protection against illegal activities like poaching or uncontrolled development. However, some studies suggest that expanding protected areas might still help biodiversity if threats are concentrated 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 harming Indigenous peoples and communities. In November 2022, NGOs such as Amnesty International, Minority Rights Group International, and Rainforest Foundation UK warned that the plan could lead to violations of human and Indigenous rights. Critics argue that the initiative risks taking land from Indigenous groups under the claim of protecting nature. The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs called the plan an example of "green colonialism" because it ignores Indigenous land rights.

At the COP15 conference, 196 countries discussed the 30 by 30 target, with many expressing different opinions. The final agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity, was signed by all countries except the United States and the Vatican. A delegate from the Democratic Republic of the Congo raised concerns about a lack of funding for conservation efforts. After a delay, the conference’s president, Chinese environment minister Huang Runqiu, approved the agreement due to a legal technicality. Delegates from the DRC, Cameroon, and Uganda were reportedly unhappy with the outcome. The DRC later announced it would not recognize the agreement as valid.