Our Ideas

Protecting 30% of the Planet by 2030

Currently, just 15% of land and 8% of our oceans are protected. The Bezos Earth Fund supports initiatives working to protect 30% of the planet’s natural resources by the year 2030.

A rock formation several meters high jutting out of the ocean. — Photo credit: Masha Buschujewa / Unsplash

Currently only 15.7 percent of land and freshwater, and 8.1 percent of oceans are protected. These places are part of a network of 270,000 protected and conserved areas around the world. Many of these areas are fragmented, under-resourced, and not effectively managed to ensure the protection of ecosystems and biodiversity over the long term. Vital ecosystems are under-represented in the current network of protected areas. And most importantly, Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) have too often been excluded from, and even harmed by, conservation efforts.

More than 100 countries have come together to address these issues, adopting an ambitious target to protect at least 30% of land and marine areas by 2030. Protection at this scale will stem biodiversity loss and safeguard ecosystems that people depend on. Indigenous Peoples and local communities are at the center of this effort, as stewards of traditionally managed lands that comprise 35% of formally protected areas and 35% of remaining areas with low human intervention.

The Bezos Earth Fund supports delivery of 30x30 in areas critical for carbon sequestration and biodiversity protection: Congo Basin forests, the Tropical Andes and western Amazon and the tropical Pacific Ocean. Through coalitions of NGOs, governments, and local partners the Earth Fund is expanding and strengthening management of protected areas in three Congo Basin countries, four Tropical Andes countries, and in the world’s largest transnational marine protected area between Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica.

As part of these efforts the Earth Fund provides financial and technical support to Indigenous Peoples and local communities to secure land titles and strengthen guardianship of community-held lands. Finally, the Earth Fund supports efforts to monitor the progress and impact of protected areas and build political will for large-scale conservation through the High Ambition Coalition for People and Nature.