A new report states that the world is falling short of the global pledge to protect 30 percent of the ocean by 2030 (“30×30”), according to Ocean and Coastal Futures.

The report is based on analysis led by the Marine Conservation Institute, which assessed nearly 90 percent of the global marine protection area (MPA) and found that just 2.8 percent is implemented and “fully” or “highly” protected, according to the levels defined as “effective” protection by The MPA Guide.

The 30×30 target, agreed at the COP15 UN Biodiversity Conference in 2022, is the most ambitious conservation commitment ever made. However, the report finds that the global marine area under some form of protection has increased by just 0.5 percent since then. At that rate of progress, only 9.7 percent of the ocean will be protected by 2030.

As of September 2024, just 19 countries and the EU had submitted National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans with national marine biodiversity targets to the the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat.

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