More than 190 countries came together at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Montreal to approve a historic environmental agreement that would protect Earth’s land and water by 2030.
The Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework commits the nations to a series of 20 targets by 2030, with the most ambitious clause being the commitment to protect 30 percent of Earth’s land and water by the end of the decade.
The framework enshrines this target in an international agreement, similar to the 2015 Paris Climate Accord. It calls for 30 percent of land and water to be conserved through “well–connected and equitably governed systems of protected areas and other effective area–based conservation measures.”
The 30 percent pledge, referred to as the “30x30,” has been pushed for in recent years by both governments and businesses. The Biden Administration has introduced plans that aim to conserve 30 percent of US land and water by 2030, while businesses like the Bezos Earth Fund have pledged $1 billion to 30x30 initiatives.
Conservation groups are hopeful this framework will also help tackle the crisis of species extinction, as approximately one million animal and plant species are facing extinction, more than at any other time during human history. The ultimate goal is to reduce the extinction rate tenfold by 2050.
