Half the time has passed for the UN's environmental goal 30x30 - that's where the world and Sweden stand

In 2022, the countries of the world agreed on one of the most ambitious environmental goals in history: to protect at least 30 percent of the planet's land, seas and coasts by the year 2030. It is a level that research describes as necessary if the rapid loss of species and habitats is to be stopped.

Half the time has now passed since the countries agreed on the so-called 30x30 goal. Currently, around 20 percent of the land surface and 10 percent of the sea and coasts are protected in some form. If all countries follow the plans submitted so far to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), 27 percent of the Earth's land areas could be protected by 2030. But only 12 percent of all coastal and marine areas.

This is evident from a new report from the international organizations Campaign for Nature and Together for the Ocean. The fact that the figure is so much lower for areas at sea is due to the fact that the world's oceans have historically been difficult to regulate – they lie for the most part outside the jurisdiction of any country. Less than 2 percent of the open sea, in international waters, is today protected.

But the report authors point out that new doors have been opened to be able to protect these areas as well. After long-drawn-out negotiations, the UN's Global Ocean Agreement (BBNJ) entered into force at the beginning of the year. Although not all countries – for example Sweden – have ratified it yet, it has formally come into force.

"Implementation of the High Seas Agreement represents the single largest opportunity to shift work towards the 30x30 goal," commented Rebecca Hubbard, leader of the High Seas Alliance – a global coalition of organizations working to protect international waters - in a press release.

But, she adds, it requires all countries to take action to agree on sufficient funding and to develop concrete plans to adopt new protected areas before 2030.

The report authors point to the danger that areas both at sea and on land only receive protection on paper, which then does not have sufficient effect in reality. So-called "paper parks".

For example, 33 percent of the world's mangrove forests are said to be protected on paper. But according to the report authors' review, less than 1 percent of these areas have strong or comprehensive protection.

Correspondingly, it is crucial that the areas that are protected really have high natural values ​​and long-term protection - and are connected to a sufficient extent so that threatened species can move.

This phenomenon can be seen in Sweden. According to Statistics Norway, 15.1 percent of Sweden's land and fresh water and 16.2 percent of marine areas are protected, based on the formal requirements in the Environmental Code. But if you also factor in voluntary allocations within forestry and other supplementary measures, the figure can approach 30 percent on land.

- Voluntary contributions are a very important contribution. The challenge is that there is no guarantee that these areas have long-term protection. The land owner can choose to move the areas or cut down or sell them, says Maano Aunapuu, head of the Environmental Protection Agency's area protection unit.

The Environmental Protection Agency's review also shows that Sweden's protected areas are unevenly distributed across the country and not sufficiently coherent.

At the end of October, the world's countries within the UN Convention on Biological Diversity will make a more accurate analysis of how the work is progressing, during the COP17 meeting in Armenia.

- The big nut to crack is that the profit of preserving biological diversity lies primarily at the societal level, while the cost of taking measures lies with individual individuals and companies. At present, it may be economically more profitable to ignore the needs of species and nature, says Maano Aunapuu.