Windows of Opportunity 

7th December 2023

30:30 Biodiversity target

“Biodiversity is essential for the processes that support all life on Earth, including humans. Without a wide range of animals, plants and microorganisms, we cannot have the healthy ecosystems that we rely on to provide us with the air we breathe and the food we eat.” (1) 

Just as importantly biodiverse rich habitats are more resilient in the face of extreme weather events than less biodiverse habitats, and often incorporate their own protective mechanisms. In other words, biodiverse rich habitats provide us with the safest place to be.

The Convention of Biological Diversity at COP15 agreed that globally we should aim to protect at least 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030. The UK is one of more than 100 nations who signed up to this target. 

So far there is considerable scope for improvement. The British Ecological Society’s report, 2020, warned that the UK was on track to miss a pledge to protect 30% of its land and sea by 2030, with some analyses warning just 5% of the nation’s land is effectively protected.  The report recommended that protected habitats under the 30×30 pledge need to put biodiversity first and foremost…To achieve this, a wide range of different habitat types need to be protected, with many existing areas requiring stronger protections than they currently have. National parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty could be included in this, if they are reformed to prioritise biodiversity…Connections between sites which allow wildlife to move are important to link up the relatively disparate network of protected areas in the UK. This could consist of physical corridors, stepping stones between them, or by improvements to non-protected land. (2)

(1) https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/projects/biodiversity/why-is-biodiversity-important/

(2). https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2022/april/uk-set-miss-pledge-protect-30-of-territory-2030.html