New Delhi: Over 190 countries had pledged in 2022 that they would conserve 30 per cent of the planet by 2030. Although official UN figures from October suggest that we are only at 18.5 per cent, a new Nature study pegs that figure at 26.81 per cent.
The study, published on 14 October and led by the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology at the University of Kent in the UK, said that nearly 27 per cent of the planet has already been conserved for biodiversity. To arrive at the findings, the team analysed conservation records from 25 countries and territories covering about 10 per cent of the world’s land. They also looked through global databases with 65 national and other smaller datasets which record conservation areas that are missing from international records.
“With four years to go, the terrestrial component of the 30 per cent target seems out of reach. Our analysis suggests that much more of the land is in some type of conservation area than currently recognised,” lead author Helen O’Neill, postdoctoral research associate at the Institute of Zoology, London, said in a statement.
However, the study found that while we are closer to reaching conservation targets, many habitats, such as grasslands and shrublands which are home to unique wildlife, are still given only limited protection.
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Conserving and managing
Along with conservation and protection, such sites must also be well managed. Conserving the land or seas is not enough to ensure the survival of biodiversity. The land that is chosen for conservation must be picked in a way that it is well connected, includes different ecosystems, and is managed in a way that is fair to the local residents of the area.
“We need much more effort to officially recognise the existing conservation areas that are currently only recorded in national datasets. We also need to focus much more on improving the effectiveness of all conservation areas, as increasing the area of land under conservation will do little unless these sites are effectively and fairly managed,” Bob Smith, Director of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology at the University of Kent, said in the statement.