30×30 is within reach – but the greatest gap is at sea

Governments have made major leaps toward the goal of protecting and conserving at least 30 percent of the world’s land and ocean by 2030 since its adoption in 2022. However, new analysis has revealed that accelerating ocean protection remains one of the greatest challenges to achieving 30×30.

The 30×30 Global Assessment, accompanied by the Ocean Protection Gap Report 2026, provides the clearest picture yet of where the world stands. 

It finds that 20% of land and inland waters are now designated as protected and conserved, rising to 27% by 2030 if all national plans are implemented. With renewed commitments and action, the 30% figure is in reach. At sea, the numbers pale in comparison. 

THE OCEAN PROTECTION GAP

Only 10% of the ocean is designated as protected or conserved, reaching just 12% if governments implement all of their national plans. Even if all these ocean commitments were honoured, it would still leave a gap roughly the size of two Africas (60 million kilometres squared) to reach 30%. 

But increasing ambition and designating more of the ocean is only part of the challenge. How the ocean is protected matters just as much as the scale of area protected.

The Ocean Protection Gap Report highlights that only a third (3.5%) of the designated ocean areas are assessed as likely to be effectively protected, with destructive activities such as bottom trawling and industrial-scale fishing continuing in many areas counted towards global protection targets. Many more MPAs reported as designated to the World Database on Protected and Conserved Areas (WDPCA) have yet to be implemented on the water.

For some of the ocean’s most important ecosystems, this gap between designation and effectively implemented is stark. For instance, 33% of mangroves are reported as protected, but just 0.3% are assessed as likely to be effectively protected, while 47% of warm-water corals lie within protected areas but less than 10% are likely to be effectively protected.

Ambitious commitments count for little if designated areas are not effectively protected and fully implemented. They must be backed by active management, strong enforcement and transparency, the exclusion of destructive activities, rights-based governance and long-term finance.

That requires investment. Across land and ocean, reaching 30×30 is estimated to require around $100–180 billion USD annually, compared with current spending of roughly $24 billion USD. Within this financing need, the investment required for the ocean is relatively small: around $16 billion USD a year, compared with just $1.8 billion USD currently spent. 

30X30 NEEDS THE HIGH SEAS

There is no doubt about the scale of the challenge. The ocean covers 70% of the world’s surface, meaning protecting at least 30% of it is a far larger undertaking than its terrestrial equivalent. 

Compounding this is the fact that much of the ocean lies beyond the jurisdiction of any single country. The high seas, international waters that begin 200 nautical miles from any coastline, make up two-thirds of the global ocean. 

There is a dangerous lack of protection for the shared ocean. Less than 2% of the high seas are protected in any way (less than1% is likely to be effective) compared to 22% inside national jurisdiction – leaving almost all of them vulnerable to overfishing, bottom-trawling and deep-sea mining. 

This represents a huge gap, but also one of the greatest opportunities to accelerate progress. A new pathway to protect biodiversity in the vast shared ocean is now available – The High Seas Treaty. Since entering into force in January 2026, it has opened the door to establishing the first generation of marine protected areas on the high seas.

Scientists have already identified 50 million square kilometres of high-priority areas to protect under this treaty. Priority areas include seamounts (underwater mountains that are rich feeding grounds and habitat for deep-sea creatures), hydrothermal vents that support dense, thriving deep-sea ecosystems, migratory corridors spanning thousands of kilometres that link vital feeding, breeding, and nursing grounds and deep-sea coral habitats. 

PROGRESS IS POSSIBLE

The 30×30 Global Assessment makes clear that the target remains within reach if governments act urgently. Significant progress has already been made, and there are examples around the world showing that ambitious, effective protection can be delivered.

French Polynesia is one of them. This year it announced new protections that, if implemented, will bring 30% of its waters – around 1.4 million square kilometres – under full protection, building on over a decade of work led by Polynesian communities and local leaders.

Furthermore, Samoa and Portugal have increased their national coverage of effective protection this year, to 25.6% and 9.5% respectively, while Indonesia has committed to assess the effectiveness of 19.1 million hectares of existing Marine Protected Areas. 

While current progress remains insufficient, the broader picture also shows that some ambition is being translated into action. More than 30 countries report that at least 30% of their land is protected or conserved, while 16 can say the same for their marine and coastal areas. 

International cooperation to accelerate progress at sea is also building. The High Seas Treaty recently surpassed 100 ratifications – an important milestone that means a growing number of countries will have a seat at the table as its implementation moves forward.

LOOKING AHEAD

The coming months provide major opportunities to accelerate delivery.

At the UN Biodiversity Summit in October (CBD COP17), governments will take stock of global progress towards the biodiversity targets and have an opportunity to course-correct for the remaining years to 2030. The findings of the 30×30 Global Assessment and Ocean Protection Gap Report point clearly to where action needs to accelerate: raising ambition, turning designation into effective and equitable protection, and mobilising the financing needed to deliver it.

Early next year countries will gather for the first High Seas Treaty Conference of Parties (COP1) scheduled for January. The COP must prioritize building the foundations for effective implementation and creating a pathway towards the first generation of high seas marine protected areas. Governments yet to ratify the Agreement must do so urgently to participate in the crucial process of laying the groundwork for future high seas conservation. 

The ocean protection gap is now one of the defining challenges for delivering 30×30. But we have a globally agreed destination, growing evidence of what works and, with the High Seas Treaty now in force, new tools to help get us there. Four years of essential action lie ahead.

Header image credit: Erik Lukas / Ocean Image Bank