New research suggests that the rapid expansion of protected areas worldwide is giving a misleading picture of progress, with biodiversity continuing to decline inside many sites designated for protection.
The State of International 30x30 Funding report released December 2025 has called for a fundamental shift in how conservation is financed, urging governments and donors to prioritise long-term, predictable funding for management, enforcement and restoration.
Protected areas are widely seen as the world’s most powerful tool to halt biodiversity loss, and governments have pledged to protect 30 per cent of land and oceans by 2030 under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The agreement, adopted by 196 countries at the UN biodiversity summit in Montreal in 2022, aims to halt and reverse nature loss by the end of this decade.
