WWF’s Position on an Area-Based Conservation Target (“30x30”) in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

As the planet’s vital signs continue to suffer under deepening global challenges, a number of scientists, Indigenous organizations, and national governments have called for increased area-based conservation around the world.

In December 2022, more than 190 countries under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted an agreement to reverse nature loss by the year 2030, including a target to conserve at least 30 percent of land, freshwater, and oceans globally (commonly called ‘30x30’).

WWF supports the inclusion of this target in CBD’s post-2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF) only if certain conditions are met. For example, such a target must ensure social equity, good governance, and an inclusive approach that secures the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities to their land, freshwater, and seas. The pursuit of 30x30 must also embrace a diversity of conservation measures beyond protected areas, recognizing effective and equitable management of nature by actors outside governments. 

This document summarizes WWF’s position on Target 3 and addresses some pressing questions around this target.