Progress towards protecting the planet

The UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) published Protected Planet Report 2024 (October 2024), which provides the first official overview of global progress towards the world’s commitment to Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). Target 3 aims to protect and conserve 30% of the Earth’s lands and waters by 2030. The KMGBF was adopted by the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (which includes 195 states and the European Union) in December 2022. This marked a historic global agreement to halt and reverse the unprecedented loss of biodiversity.

Human Level’s Take

• “This decade marks the make-or-break moment for the health of the planet”, according to the Protected Planet Report.
  

• In recognition of this, Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Diversity Framework (KMGBF) – an ambitious plan to halt and reverse biodiversity loss consisting of four long-term goals and 23 targets for 2030. The KMGBF has important links to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which means that efforts to tackle the human rights, climate and environmental crises cannot be done in silos.
  

• Target 3 of the KMGBF – which aims to conserve 30% of land, waters and seas – is underpinned by a rights-based approach. More specifically, the governance of protected and conserved areas must be just and fair for Indigenous Peoples and local communities; the contributions of these groups to the conservation of nature and the sustainable use of natural resources must be recognised; and the rights of these groups over their traditional territories must be secured and respected.
  

• While we have made progress on meeting the target’s 30% coverage, the rate of expansion of protected and conserved areas must be accelerated to meet the 2030 timeline. What does this mean for companies?
  

• Although the KMGBF takes place at the international policy level, it will trickle down into national policies and laws on environmental protection and conservation. This in turn will affect companies operating in these jurisdictions, with an emphasis on taking a rights-based approach to environmental and climate efforts. In addition, the KMGBF provides useful guide rails on corporate environmental efforts in relation to respecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and ensuring their participation in decision-making processes.
  

• More recently, at the end of October, delegates representing countries from around the world met in Cali, Colombia, to attend the 16th Conference of the Parties under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16). This year’s meeting is focused on reviewing the targets proposed by each country for implementing the KMGBF and whether they achieve the objective of halting biodiversity loss. With international policy efforts to combat biodiversity loss gaining momentum, countries – and therefore companies – will face increased scrutiny to adopt a rights-based approach to environmental policies and initiatives.
  

For More

• The interconnections between people and planet: Competing human activities and resulting alterations to the Earth’s natural landscapes and seascapes continue to drive biodiversity loss at unprecedented rates in human history. This poses a huge threat to nature and to people’s well-being in several ways. For instance, people depend on biodiversity for food, materials, medicine and the regulation of all natural systems. People also derive significant cultural and spiritual inspiration from nature. The report issues a call to action: “A transformation is now needed to protect and recognize the value of biodiversity and the vital services it provides.”
  

• What does Target 3 state? Target 3 urges Parties and other governments, with the support of intergovernmental and other organisations, to:
  

“Ensure and enable that by 2030 at least 30 per cent of terrestrial, inland water, and of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, are effectively conserved and managed through ecologically representative, well-connected and equitably governed systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, recognizing indigenous and traditional territories where applicable, and integrated into wider landscapes, seascapes and the ocean, while ensuring that any sustainable use, where appropriate in such areas, is fully consistent with conservation outcomes, recognizing and respecting the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, including over their traditional territories.”

• Four key elements of Target 3:
  • Effective conservation: Protected and conserved areas must be effectively conserved and managed, which includes measurable outcomes for biodiversity
  • Equitable governance: The governance of protected and conserved areas must be equitable (i.e., just and fair) for local people, including Indigenous Peoples and local communities, as well as women and girls.
  • Sustainable use consistent with conservation outcomes: The use of natural resources in protected and conserved areas must be sustainable and aligned with conservation outcomes.
  • The rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities: The target should be implemented with respect for the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

• Progress in numbers: Based on official data, the global coverage of protected and conserved areas has now reached 17.6% of terrestrial and inland waters and 8.4% of marine and coastal areas. Despite the progress made, a further 16.71 million km2 (12.42%) of terrestrial and inland waters, and 78.26 million km2 (21.56%) of marine and coastal areas need to be established and/or recognised in the next 5 years. This will require a substantial increase in the rate of expansion of protected and conserved areas seen since 2020. And greater efforts must be made to meet the target’s other elements (i.e., equitable governance, sustainable use and recognition of Indigenous Peoples and local communities).
  

• The rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities underpin Target 3: Target 3 recognises the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in relation to protecting and conserving biodiversity in two key ways.
  • First, it recognises the importance of fair and just governance, specifying that areas must be “effectively conserved and managed through … equitably governed systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures … recognizing and respecting the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.” There are three key dimensions of equitable governance:
    • Recognition: Acknowledgement and respect for a diversity of actors, as well as their rights, values and knowledge systems.  
    • Procedure: Inclusive, participatory and transparent decision-making and conflict resolution.
    • Distribution: The equitable sharing of all costs and benefits.

• Second, it recognises that Indigenous Peoples and local communities play a critical role in the conservation of nature and the sustainable use of natural resources due to their traditional knowledge, cultures, governance systems and deep connections to the places they inhabit. Despite this, they often lack formal rights to lands, waters and resources, and face significant threats – with disproportionate adverse impacts on women and girls. Thus, secure rights for Indigenous Peoples and local communities over their traditional territories, and appropriate forms of recognition and support for their self-determined governance systems, territories and areas in the long-term, are critical to successfully implement Target 3 and are essential to more equitable and effective conservation in general.