High ambition for protected areas: turning pledges into action

The current draft of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, to be adopted at the CBD COP-15 in Kunming, China, contains a target for calling for protection and conservation of at least 30 percent of world’s land, freshwater and ocean by 2030 (“30 x 30”)–with a focus on areas particularly important for biodiversity. Around 65 countries are championing this target as a means of halting the accelerating loss of biodiversity, calling for a global ambition that matches the scale of the crisis. IUCN’s policy base stresses that to succeed in halting the loss of biodiversity, new protected and conserved areas will need to be established in areas of particular importance for biodiversity whilst identifying, recognizing and supporting areas and territories effectively conserved by Indigenous Peoples, local communities and private organizations. Such areas need to be effectively managed. The panel will discuss how high ambition targets for protected areas can be achieved.