Beyond 30×30: Global Ocean Conservation Quality Is Lagging Behind Quantity

Elizabeth P. Pike, et al., Conservation Letters

Beyond 30×30: Global Ocean Conservation Quality Is Lagging Behind Quantity
David Courbit, Unsplash

The international community set a global conservation target to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030 (“30 × 30”) to reverse biodiversity loss, including through marine protected areas (MPAs). However, varied MPAs result in significantly different conservation outcomes, making MPA coverage alone an inadequate metric. We used The MPA Guide framework to assess the the world's largest 100 MPAs by area, representing nearly 90% of reported global MPA coverage and 7.3% of the global ocean area, and analyzed the distribution of MPA quality across political and ecological regions. 

Access the full study here

Access a cover story from The Center for American Progress here



Older Post Newer Post