More than at any other time in the history of humanity, nature, planet Earth and its inhabitants today face the greatest ever existential threat.

Nature and its vital contributions to people, which together embody biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, are deteriorating worldwide at a catastrophically alarming rate.

With only five years left to meet scientifically-determined global targets, the world must act faster to protect at least 30 per cent of the planet, and protected and conserved areas need to double on land, and triple at sea by 2030.

Both nature and nature’s contributions to people are vital for human existence and good quality of life -human wellbeing, living in harmony with nature, living well in balance and harmony with Mother Earth, and other analogous concepts.

This reason why the harmonious coexistence between people and nature is vital, was given by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) in its landmark ‘Global Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services’ report.

Just last month, member states of the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity (CBD), agreed on a strategy to mobilise resources needed for the protection of people and planet at the resumed session of the biodiversity summit (COP16) in Rome, Italy, with the IPBES report forming a critical background of their discussions.

Gloomy prospects

Launched in 2019 on the eve of the UN Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the report, which projects gloomy prospects for the existence of people, nature and planet, continues to be the subject of intense discussions at major international forums.

The ‘Global Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services’ was carried out by about 150 selected experts from all regions of the world, assisted by 350 contributing authors. More than 15,000 scientific publications were analysed as well as a substantive body of indigenous and local knowledge.

That is why leading organisations for the conservation and protection of the environment are urging the world to protect 30 per cent of the planet and double conserved areas on land and triple at sea by 2030 (30 by 30), now only five years away.

In December 2022, parties to the CBD committed to the ‘30 by 30’ target, agreeing to tackle the global nature crisis under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).

With this target, they committed to conserving nature through protected and conserved areas, including those that allow for the sustainable use of resources, while recognising indigenous and traditional territories.

“It is essential that protected and conserved areas reach the 30 per cent target, but it’s equally important that these areas are effective and do not negatively impact the people who live in and around them, who are often their most valuable custodians,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen.

Human actions threaten more species with global extinction now than ever before. Around 25 per cent of assessed animal and plant groups are threatened – around one million species already face extinction, many within decades, unless action is taken to reduce to reduce the intensity of drivers of biodiversity loss.

“The window is closing for us to equitably and meaningfully conserve 30 percent of the Earth. We must work together across borders, demographics and sectors. Crucially, Indigenous People must be supported to act as stewards of their lands, their voices heard and valued,” said International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN Director General Dr Grethel Aguilar.

Otherwise, there will be further acceleration in the global rate of species extinction, already tens to hundreds of times higher than it has averaged in the past 10 million years.

Sustainable use

More than 130 governments, members of IPBES approved the report, the first since the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment report in 2005. It was also the first ever assessment carried out by an independent intergovernmental body, of the status and trends of the natural world, the social implications of these trends, their direct and indirect causes, and actions that can still be taken to ensure a better future for all.

Established by governments in 2012, IPBES provides policymakers with objective scientific assessments about the state of knowledge regarding the planet’s biodiversity, ecosystems and the contributions they make to people, as well as options and actions to protect and sustainably use these vital natural assets.

Nature’s contributions to people embody different concepts, such as ecosystem goods and services and nature’s gifts, as analysed in the IPBES report.

While more food, energy and materials than ever before are now being supplied to people in most places, this is increasingly at the expense of nature’s ability to provide such contributions in the future, and frequently undermines nature’s many other contributions, which range from water quality regulation to sense of place.

The biosphere, upon which humanity as a whole depends, is being altered to an unparalleled degree across all spatial scales. Biodiversity – the diversity within species, between species and ecosystems – is declining faster than at any time in history.

Acknowledging that the international community has made some headway on pledges to meet the ‘30 by 30’ this target, the official progress report from UNEP’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and the IUCN finds that progress must accelerate.

The ‘Protected Planet Report’, unveiled at the biodiversity summit in Cali, reveals that 17.6 per cent of land and inland waters and 8.4 per cent of the ocean and coastal areas globally are within documented protected and conserved areas.

The increase in coverage since 2020, equivalent to more than twice the size of Colombia, is to be celebrated, states the UNEP-WCMC and IUCN report. However, it is a rise of less than 0.5 percentage points in both realms, it notes.

This leaves land roughly the size of Brazil and Australia combined, and at sea larger than the Indian Ocean, to be designated by 2030 in order to meet the global targets.

Governments committed to ensuring that these areas are effective, well-located, connected, equitably governed and uphold human rights. While progress has been made on all elements that can be meaningfully tracked, the new data suggests that the world is falling short on the quality as well as the coverage of protected and conserved areas, according to the report.

Protected and conserved areas are vital places for both nature and people. They play a critical role in halting and reversing biodiversity loss. They also provide important cultural, spiritual and economic benefits, supplying ecosystem services that help people to safeguard the planet for the future of humanity.

Accelerate progress

This decade marks the make-or-break moment for the health of the planet. The historic agreement to halt and reverse the unprecedented loss of biodiversity through the KMBGF calls upon governments, businesses and society to take urgent action by 2030 to end the biodiversity crisis. More work is needed to scale up coverage and to place protected and conserved areas where they are most needed.

To succeed in halting and reversing biodiversity loss, the speed of progress must be accelerated. Global ambitions will need to translate into urgent national and local action. All countries around the world will need to contribute in every way they can rise to the challenge together, and act for nature.