30 by 30

Our natural world is in trouble. This is no secret. Wildlife is disappearing at an alarming rate and the threat of climate catastrophe becomes more real year by year.  

Time is running out to act. The current approach isn’t good enough – we are far from reaching the 30 by 30 target.  

What does 30 by 30 mean?  

30 by 30 means 30% of land and sea protected, connected and managed for nature’s recovery by 2030. In 2020 the UK Government made a commitment to achieve this goal. 30 by 30 is also a Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) goal, which means the UK has an international commitment to set targets to achieve this.  

This isn’t just a counting exercise. 30% of habitat in a landscape was chosen as the international standard because it usually provides enough space and connection between patches of habitat for wildlife to survive and travel.  

By making more space for nature, our struggling wildlife will have chance to recover. Habitats that store carbon will be restored and can help tackle the climate crisis, and people will gain the health and wellbeing benefits of access to nature.  
 

Quality is just as important as quantity 

It’s not enough to have poor quality, isolated patches of habitat. That means wildlife will have too far to travel to find suitable places to feed, breed and live.  

Protected, connected and managed means having places that are: 

• Protected for wildlife from damaging activities
• Connected in an appropriate way to other good quality habitats
• Managed, to make sure they’re kept in good condition for wildlife 

The UK is far from achieving this target  

Currently the way that land is assessed varies across the four countries of the UK and there isn’t one single figure for how much land in the UK counts towards this international target.  

However, no published Government data puts the percentage of UK land in good condition for wildlife at higher than 7%. Other estimates are far lower than even that. That leaves a long way to go to reach 30% in the next five years.  

30 by 30 at sea 

Although on paper 38% of UK seas are under some form of Marine Protected Area (MPA) designation, the reality is very different. Most MPAs still face pressure from damaging activities like destructive fishing methods, oil and gas exploration, offshore wind development, pollution and pipelines.  

These problems must be addressed if our seas are to recover. 

There needs to be a significant shift  

We need to see:  

• Effective management of natural spaces 
  Some protected sites are in poor condition or inappropriately managed, which means the land isn’t high value for wildlife
• Proper monitoring to allow us to know whether land is delivering for nature
• Reducing pressure on all land and at sea from other activities, such as pollution
• Confirmation from Government on how to assess land that counts and a delivery plan for how we are going to meet the target.
  There are IUCN international standards to measure whether an area of land or sea counts towards the 30 by 30 target. We want to see these standards followed 

Meeting this goal needs more than a scattergun approach. There needs to be real consideration to making a significant difference to nature’s recovery. 

If we don’t get this right, not only is our international reputation on the line but wildlife across the country will continue to disappear. We need greater action and implementation as a matter of urgency. 

The other 70% of land still matters 

Any land that isn’t protected for nature in the long-term shouldn’t count towards 30 by 30. But that doesn’t mean this land isn’t vitally important for wildlife.  

Nature-friendly farming has a central role to play. All farmland should be managed in a more sustainable way that benefits those species associated with productive habitats. This will include measures like protecting and incentivising more farm habitats and connectivity like hedges and trees, reduced use of pesticides, more diverse cropping systems, and sustainable management of soils. However, this should form part of the 70% - not the 30%. 

Our gardens also make up a huge network of potential green space across the UK. By gardening in a wildlife-friendly way, we can build up corridors and networks between protected areas.