Marine Protected Areas: is 30x30 still an achievable goal?

The Ocean covers 71% of the Earth’s surface, providing vital marine ecosystem services that support human society and its sustainable development. Yet, climate change and biodiversity crises are threatening to change the marine environment for generations to come. In response, a global commitment provides hope that 30% of the Ocean will be protected in the near future.

Eye-level view of a coral reef teeming with marine life

What are MPAs?

“Marine protected areas”(MPAs) (1) are geographically defined marine areas that are designated and managed to achieve specific long-term biological diversity conservation objectives and may allow sustainable use provided it is consistent with conservation objectives.

Over the last decade, the number and extent of marine protected areas have increased rapidly. They are being considered the fastest growing protected areas in terms of spatial coverage. Currently, there are 16,672 MPAs, covering 9.75% of the Ocean, according to the latest statistics (2) from the World Database on Protected Areas.

However, data recently compiled by a group of nature funds and environmental NGOs (3) indicate that only 2.8% of the world’s Ocean is “effectively” protected. The “Protected Planet Report” (4) released for the first time in 2024 by the United Nations Environment Programme to assess the global status of protected and conserved areas also suggests that acceleration in coverage should be matched by the quality of implementation.

So what is the 30x30 initiative?

In December 2022, over 190 countries adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (also known as The Biodiversity Plan) (5)– an international commitment aimed to bring transformation in society’s relationship with biodiversity by 2030. This historic agreement, which contributes to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, sets targets for putting nature on a path to recovery for the benefit of the people and the planet.

Target 3 of the Framework (6) sets out a goal of at least 30% of terrestrial and inland water areas, and of marine and coastal areas, to be effectively conserved and managed through systems of protected areas by 2030. It also provides that any sustainable use in such areas should be fully consistent with conservation outcomes. The target refers to both the establishment of new areas and improving effectiveness and equity in existing areas. (7)

30x30 has been considered “the biggest conservation commitment the world has ever seen”. (8) This commitment was once again reiterated by the most recent UN Ocean Conference (9), which took place in Nice, France, in June 2025.

Why the struggle?

The World Bank estimated (10) that US $ 2.7 trillion of financial losses in GDP annually will occur by 2030 without better nature protection, including of marine fisheries. The report of the World Bank argued that the ecosystem service benefits provided by the 30x30 initiative would almost fully offset the opportunity costs required to meet the target.

Such an investment is important for both biodiversity conservation, but also for climate change mitigation and adaptation. MPAs protect critical marine habitats, such as coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrasses. They also allow fish populations to recover, by promoting sustainable fishing practices. Moreover, they protect coastal ecosystems that act as carbon sinks, while also enhancing the resilience of marine life against rising temperatures and ocean acidification.

Therefore, the contribution of equitably managed, ecologically representative and well-connected marine protected areas to the health and resilience of our ocean and coastal ecosystems, as well as the coastal communities that depend on them, is undeniable.

Is 30x30 still achievable?

Only 16 countries (11) have so far designated at least 30% of their national waters as protected areas: Cook Islands (100%), Monaco (100%); Palau (98%); Kazakhstan (53%); New Zealand (49%); France (49%); UK (47%); Argentina (47%); Australia (46%); Germany (45%); Niue (41%); Chile (41%); Colombia (41%); Belgium (38%); the Netherlands (34%); Seychelles (33%).

While these commitments represent a significant achievement, MPAs require more cross-border collaboration than other protected areas, for them to work in practice. More than 90% of species have ranges spanning at least two national waters, with 58% covering more than 10 jurisdictions. (12)

In addition, most existing MPAs are coastal or nearshore, within national jurisdictions, and progress has been much slower and harder to achieve on the high seas, where only 1.45% has been established as protected areas. This is despite the fact that the High Seas cover two-thirds of the Ocean. Still, the  BBNJ Agreement (13), which came into force in January 2026, could be an important new tool for mobilizing action towards the establishment of MPAs in international waters.

The costs of implementing all the components of 30x30 are estimated (14) at roughly US $ 103-178 billion a year (or ~$80 billion more than is currently spent). This is another risk in achieving the 30x30 objective, given that there is a lack of adequate funding for managing protected areas.

For these reasons, there is little chance that the 30x30 objective will be achieved by 2030. However, one could estimate that the target will be accomplished at least by half, from the current 9.75% towards 15% of ocean coverage by MPAs in the foreseen period of time. That is if the rate of expansion is to be maintained in the remaining four years, keeping in mind the increase of 1.2% in MPAs observed in 2025.

In conclusion, in a recent IUCN article (15), Mr Neville Ash, Director of UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, said that reaching the milestone of 10% of protection in the marine realm is “a moment of celebration”, but also “a reminder of how much work there is still to do” both in terms of coverage for reaching the 30x30 target, but also in ensuring effective management of existing MPAs.

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(1) Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sutainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, at https://www.un.org/bbnjagreement/sites/default/files/2024-08/Text%20of%20the%20Agreement%20in%20English.pdf, 2023, page 3

(2) The Protected Planet Initiative, Marine Protected Areas, at https://www.protectedplanet.net/en/thematic-areas/marine-protected-areas 

(3) Igini Martina, Just 2.8% of the World’s Ocean is “effectively” protected despite 2030 conservation target, Report warns ahead of UN Biodiversity Conference, at https://earth.org/just-2-8-of-the-worlds-ocean-is-effectively-protected-despite-2030-conservation-target-report-warns-ahead-of-un-biodiversity-conference/, 2024

(4) United Nations Environment Programme’s World Conservation Monitoring Center, The Protected Planet Report 2024, at https://pp-digital-report-document.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/Protected+Planet+Report+2024_Executive+Summary.pdf, page 2

(5) The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, at https://www.cbd.int/gbf

(6) Decision 15/4. Kunming-Montreal Global Diversity Framework, adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, at https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cop-15/cop-15-dec-04-en.pdf, page 9

(7) Best Practice in delivering the 30x30 target. Protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, 2^nd edition at https://www.30x30.solutions/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TNC_UKDEFRA_30x30_BestPractices_Report.pdf, April 2023, page 4

(8) Why we’re committing to 30X30, The Nature Conservancy Journal, at https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-priorities/protect-water-and-land/land-and-water-stories/committing-to-30x30/#:~:text=What%20is%2030x30%3F,as%20protected%20areas%20by%202030.

(9) “Our Ocean, our Future: united for urgent action”, a Call by the United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Goal 14 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, at https://www.un.org/pga/wp-content/uploads/sites/109/2025/05/UNOC3-declaration-final.pdf

(10) Protecting nature could avert global economic losses of $2.7 trillion per year, at https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2021/07/01/protecting-nature-could-avert-global-economic-losses-of-usd2-7-trillion-per-year, July 2021

(11) UNEP-WCMC and IUCN (2026), Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM) [Online], April 2026, Cambridge, UK: UNEP-WCMC and IUCN. Available at: https://www.protectedplanet.net/en/thematic-areas/marine-protected-areas  

(12) Roberson Leslie A. et all, Multinational coordination required for conservation of over 90% of marine species, National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information, at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34488246/ 

(13) Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sutainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, at https://www.un.org/bbnjagreement/sites/default/files/2024-08/Text%20of%20the%20Agreement%20in%20English.pdf, 2023, page 3

(14) Best Practice in Delivering the 30X30 target : protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, at https://www.nature.org/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/documents/TNC-DEFRA-ENGLISH-30x30_OCT23-new-intro.pdf, April 2023, page 11

IUCN, World reaches milestone for nature: 10% of ocean now officially protected, 1 April 2026, at https://iucn.org/story/202604/world-reaches-milestone-nature-10-ocean-now-officially-protected#:~:text=02%20Apr%2C%202026-,World%20reaches%20milestone%20for%20nature:%2010%25%20of%20ocean%20now%20officially,Global%20Biodiversity%20Framework%20(KMGBF)