Philanthropists pledge record $5bn to protect 30% of land & sea by 2030
Melanie May | 30 September 2021 | News
The largest ever donation to nature conservation was pledged this month to finance the protection of 30% of land and sea by the end of this decade.
Nine organisations have joined together to pledge $5 billion over the next 10 years to support the creation, expansion, management and monitoring of protected and conserved areas of land, inland water and sea, working with Indigenous Peoples, local communities, civil society and governments. This marks the largest private funding commitment ever to biodiversity conservation. This includes ensuring that 30% of the planet is protected and preserved in the most important places for biodiversity by 2030.
The commitment is being made jointly by Arcadia – a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin; Bezos Earth Fund; Bloomberg Philanthropies; Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; Nia Tero; Rainforest Trust; Re:wild; Wyss Foundation; and the Rob and Melani Walton Foundation. The private funders have made the commitment to help address three of the planet’s biggest crises: the climate crisis, extinction crisis, and health crisis – with an emphasis on the role of nature and the leadership of Indigenous Peoples in solving them.
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The private funders have launched the Protecting Our Planet Challenge, and will be supporting projects around the globe that will help achieve the 30×30 initiative proposed by the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People, a group of 70 nations. Earlier this month, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which includes governments and more than 1,400 civil society organisation and Indigenous Peoples’ organisations, also endorsed the 30×30 goal as part of the post-2020 framework of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. The Protecting Our Planet Challenge is also calling for additional private and governmental financial support behind 30×30.
Research findings highlighted in the announcement indicate that the conservation and effective management and guardianship of at least 30% of the planet in the most important places for biodiversity could protect up to 80% of plant and animal species, and secure 60% of the planet’s carbon stocks and 66% of the planet’s clean water.
Andrew Steer, president and CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund commented:
“This is the decisive decade for tackling climate change, and protecting the lands and waters that serve as our life support system is an imperative in that fight.Governments, corporations, philanthropies and NGOs have a collective role to play in reversing nature’s decline. By prioritizing the voices of Indigenous Peoples and frontline communities, protecting our most delicate and vital natural resources, and creating more equitable access to nature for all, we will ultimately help humanity and every living species on our planet thrive.”
Antha Williams, Global Head of Climate and Environment Programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies said:
“A global 30×30 conservation target is not an arbitrary aspiration—it is a scientific and moral necessity. We need increased political leadership and funding to slow the alarming loss of coral reefs, mangroves, and other ecosystems critical to mitigating and adapting to climate change. Bloomberg Philanthropies is pleased to join the Protecting Our Planet Challenge, an important movement to support communities whose food, livelihoods, and health are under threat by the projected worst of climate change and loss of biodiversity.”
The announcement was made at the Transformative Action for Nature and People High Level event, which brought together heads of state and ministers, as well as leaders from the worlds of finance, philanthropy, civil society and Indigenous Communities to commit to action for nature, climate and people.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.