30% by 2030
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Because of the amount of land and waters humans have manipulated (disturbed), managed (farmed, logged, fished) and changed (paved over, dammed, converted) we have disrupted Earth System Processes, including the climate and the water cycle. We have passed seven out of nine planetary boundaries (Stockholm Resilience Center) -the critical processes that regulate the stability and resilience of Earth.
Scientist continue to warn us: The planet is on the brink.
The evolution of the planetary boundaries framework. Licenced under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 (Credit: Azote for Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University. Based on Sakschewski and Caesar et al. 2025, Richardson et al. 2023, Steffen et al. 2015, and Rockström et al. 2009). https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/planetary-boundaries.html
To restore Earth systems processes and maintain a livable biosphere, it is imperative that we permanently protect critical ecosystems on land and water. E.O. Wilson advocated for Half Earth (we agree), however, due to corporate pressures the compromise sits at protecting 30% by 2030 as enshrined in the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. By retaining existing ecosystems and restoring an additional 30% of converted lands we could mitigate 71% (+/-4%) of current extinctions and 49% of all the CO2 increase since the industrial revolution.
This is a real , affirmative, and actionable solution but leadership across the globe, is cheating.
We must take protection and restoration into our hands and we must hold leadership accountable!
Click on the button above to view the USGS Protected Areas Dashboard
Select extent: State
Select your State from the drop-down menu
Add Gap 1 + GAP 2 % = ?
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5. If your State has 30% or more when adding GAP 1 and GAP 2 areas, Congratulations! Your State is on target with permanent legal protections on 30% of its territory.
Most states are far from it but include lands and waters that are subject to extractive activities (GAP 3: mining, logging, agriculture, etc.) and vehicle traffic which does not qualify for the 30 x 30 mandate because it doesn't help biodiversity or nature recovery.
States need to move GAP 3 lands into GAP 1 and GAP 2 management scenarios using administrative mechanisms until they reach 30% and issue permanent legal protections on the 30%.
DREISS 2022 GAP Codes explained:
GAP 1-permanent protection from conversion and management plan to maintain the natural state.
GAP 2 - permanent protection from conversion and management plan to maintain a primarily natural state, management plan may degrade quality of natural communities (i.e. suppress disturbances.)
GAP 3 - Permanent protections in majority but subject to extractive uses (forestry, mining, and vehicle traffic including off-road vehicles.)
GAP 4 - Lacking conservation mandates - allows conversion and management is largely unknown.
In the above USGS dashboard, you can see that the entire U.S.A. only has about 12 % of lands that are permanently protected – the vast majority of which are found in the Western U.S.- and only 23% of America’s Oceans have real legal protections.
Background:
Nature is Running Out of Space on Planet Earth
Species populations have declined an average of 73% over the last 50 years (Living Planet Report) - 75 % is considered a mass extinction.
The drivers of this biodiversity crisis are anthropogenic: habitat loss, land conversions, species overexploitation, invasive species, pollution, climate change, and disease.
Human population is projected to grow from current 8 billion to close to 10 Billion people by 2050.
Earth Overshoot Day in 2025, was July 24. In other words, we exceeded the planet's carrying capacity starting July 25- we are using more resources than the planet can generate in that year. This is the definition of unsustainable.
Biodiversity, or the biological variety of life on Earth, is essential for human survival and well-being. Biodiversity is key for biogeochemical cycling (Earth system process), food security, medicine, ecosystem services such as pollination and climate regulation, disease control, and human biome resilience. It is what keeps our biosphere alive.
The Solution
In 2022, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) was adopted during COP 15 with 23 targets.
Target #3 is what we colloquially call the 30 x 30 target: an ambitious commitment to permanently protect 30% of terrestrial, inland water, coastal, and marine areas by 2030.
The goal seeks to protect and restore 30% by 2030 so that by 2050, the extinction rate can be decreased tenfold and the abundance of native wild species can come back to healthy and resilient levels through natural progression.
The implementation of the 2022 framework is coordinated globally by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the U.N. Environmental Program (UNEP), and the World Conservation Monitoring Center. In the US, it is monitored by the United States Geological Survey Agency (USGS).
Executive Order (#14008) was issued in 2021 in the U.S. to “tackle the climate crisis at home and abroad. This order highlights that currently, according to the official USGS dashboard , only 12 % of lands are permanently protected (see image below.)
Forests host 80% of terrestrial life and are vital for carbon sequestration- forests need to be prioritized for 30 x 30 and obtain full, permanent, legal protections against logging and traffic.
Forests are key for biodiversity, the water cycle, soil creation, biogeochemical processes - but they need to be left alone so they can perform all their vital functions - not "actively managed" which disrupts these functions.
Many forests have been managed to the point where they can no longer regenerate, especially not with the stressors of climate change.
We have 5 more years to put permanent legal protections on 30% of all lands and waters, especially ecosystems of high ecological integrity such as forests.
The Example of Maryland
In May of 2024, Governor Moore announced that we have reached 30% of protected lands and are now moving towards 40% by 2040. However, the USGS official GAP shows 0.08% of territory in GAP 1 and 2.57% in GAP 2. This adds up to 2.65% of Marylands territory, far less than the 30% we need.
We sent this letter to the Governor:
2. We received this answer from the Secretaries of Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Planning, confirming our suspicion that GAP 3 lands are being counted for 30 x 30 in Maryland. As in many other states, MD calls this "conservation" which misleads people to believe we're on target.
3. We sent a letter demanding transparency and accountability:
Next Steps:
Obtain as much media coverage as possible (tricky in election time)
Get as many organizations and other States to back up 30 x 30
Set up a state-wide petition, asking for transparency and true 30 x 30
Help us protect 30% by 2030 in your state!
If you need help, please contact us by clicking one of the buttons below:
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