- RESEARCH BRIEFINGS
Governments around the world have pledged to conserve 30% of the terrestrial realm by 2030, but official data suggest that the target is barely halfway to being met. A combined global and national-level data set now shows that up to 27% of land area is conserved, but gaps in ecological representation remain.
Figure 1 is published under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence.
References
Convention on Biological Diversity. Decision Adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity 15/4. Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (UN Environment Programme, 2022).
IUCN WCPA Task Force on OECMs. Recognising and Reporting Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (International Union for Conservation of Nature, 2019).
Sykes, R. E. et al. Oryx 58, 192–201 (2024).
UNEP WCMC & IUCN. The World Database on Protected Areas www.protectedplanet.net (2022).
Geldmann, J. Conserv. Lett. 19, e70030 (2026).