What is the 30x30 Target and What Does It Mean for Rewilding?

What the 30x30 target actually is

The 30x30 target is a global conservation commitment for countries to protect 30 percent of Earth's land, freshwater, and ocean areas by 2030. It forms Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted by more than 190 countries in December 2022.

The goal is straightforward but ambitious: protect enough nature, at least 30 percent, to help halt biodiversity loss, stabilize ecosystems, and buffer humanity from climate impacts. Scientists broadly agree that protecting at least 30 percent of the planet is necessary to slow the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.

17.3%

of terrestrial and inland water areas currently protected (18.4% including OECMs)

9.8%

of marine areas currently protected (10.0% including OECMs)

As of 2026, the world remains far from this target on both land and sea.

Why 30x30 matters for rewilding

Rewilding is one of the most powerful tools for achieving 30x30 because it restores large, connected, self-sustaining ecosystems, exactly the kind of landscapes the target prioritizes.

1. Rewilding creates high-value protected areas

30x30 emphasizes protecting areas of high biodiversity importance, ecological function, and climate resilience. Rewilding projects often restore:

Apex predator dynamics
Natural disturbance regimes
Wetlands and floodplains
Species-rich grasslands
Wildlife corridors

These habitats score highly on ecological importance and help countries meet their 30 percent thresholds.

2. Rewilding expands conservation beyond parks

30x30 includes not only formal protected areas but also OECMs, other effective area-based conservation measures, which deliver conservation outcomes even where land is not designated as a park. Rewilding projects on private ranchlands, Indigenous and tribal territories, community-managed forests, and working lands can all count toward 30x30 if they deliver measurable biodiversity benefits.

3. Rewilding strengthens ecological connectivity

Target 3 explicitly calls for well-connected conservation networks. Rewilding is uniquely suited to reconnect fragmented habitats, restore wildlife movement routes, and rebuild landscape-scale ecological processes. Connectivity is essential for climate adaptation, species migration, and genetic flow.

4. Rewilding helps meet climate and biodiversity goals simultaneously

30x30 is designed to address both crises at once. Rewilding delivers carbon sequestration through wetlands, forests, and peatlands, biodiversity recovery, and climate resilience through flood mitigation and fire buffering, making it a dual-benefit solution for countries trying to meet multiple targets.

What counts toward 30x30?

Under the Kunming-Montreal Framework, areas can count toward 30x30 if they are effectively conserved, ecologically representative, well-connected, equitably governed, and managed for long-term biodiversity outcomes. This includes:

National parks and wildlife refuges
Marine protected areas
Indigenous and community-managed lands
Private conservation easements
OECMs, such as rewilding landscapes and regenerative ranchlands

This broad definition is why rewilding is so central to achieving 30x30. It expands what counts as conservation well beyond traditional protected areas.

What 30x30 means for the future of rewilding

The target is reshaping conservation funding and strategy in several ways. It has mobilized significant new conservation funding and made rewilding projects increasingly eligible for nature-positive investment, biodiversity credits, philanthropic conservation funds, and government restoration programs.

30x30 requires landscape-scale conservation rather than isolated pockets of habitat, and rewilding's emphasis on whole-ecosystem recovery aligns closely with this shift. Target 3 also explicitly requires respecting Indigenous rights and governance, and many of the world's most successful rewilding landscapes are Indigenous-led. Wildlife corridors, river restoration, and transboundary conservation areas, all core rewilding tools, are increasingly central to national biodiversity strategies.

Challenges and controversies

30x30 is not without criticism.

Indigenous rights concerns

Some advocates fear that 30x30 could repeat past injustices in which protected areas displaced Indigenous peoples from their land.

Quality versus quantity

Protecting 30 percent of land means little if protections are weak or poorly enforced. Many existing protected areas are sometimes called "paper parks," with limited real-world ecological impact.

Political instability

In early 2025, the United States rescinded its national 30x30 commitment, known as America the Beautiful, though many individual states continue pursuing similar goals independently. This kind of volatility can affect long-term planning for rewilding projects that depend on policy continuity.

Risk of focusing on remote areas only

Some governments may protect low-conflict, remote land rather than the biodiverse but politically sensitive regions where protection is needed most.

Key takeaways

30x30 is the largest conservation commitment in history, adopted by 190+ countries
It aims to protect 30 percent of land, freshwater, and oceans by 2030
Rewilding is one of the most effective pathways to achieving it, because it restores large, connected, high-value ecosystems
Indigenous governance, ecological connectivity, and long-term protection are central to the target
Despite political setbacks, 30x30 continues to reshape global conservation and create opportunities for rewilding

Sources & references

Convention on Biological Diversity. Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Target 3. cbd.int/gbf
Protected Planet / UNEP-WCMC. Global statistics on protected areas and OECMs. protectedplanet.net
Wikipedia. 30 by 30. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/30_by_30

Frequently asked questions

What is the 30x30 target?+

The 30x30 target is a global conservation commitment, adopted by more than 190 countries in December 2022 under Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, to effectively conserve and manage at least 30 percent of the world's terrestrial, inland water, and marine areas by 2030.

How close is the world to reaching 30x30?+

As of 2026, around 17.3 percent of terrestrial and inland water areas and 9.8 percent of marine areas are protected. Including other effective area-based conservation measures, those figures rise to roughly 18.4 percent and 10.0 percent. The world remains well short of the 30 percent target for both land and sea.

Why is rewilding important for 30x30?+

Rewilding restores large, connected, self-sustaining ecosystems, the kind of landscapes 30x30 prioritizes. It creates high-value habitat, expands conservation beyond formal parks through OECMs, strengthens ecological connectivity, and delivers both biodiversity and climate benefits simultaneously.

What counts toward the 30x30 target?+

Areas count toward 30x30 if they are effectively conserved, ecologically representative, well-connected, equitably governed, and managed for long-term biodiversity outcomes. This includes national parks, wildlife refuges, marine protected areas, Indigenous and community-managed lands, private conservation easements, and OECMs such as rewilding landscapes and regenerative ranchlands.

What are the main criticisms of 30x30?+

Critics raise concerns about Indigenous rights if protected areas displace local communities, the gap between protection on paper and effective management on the ground, political instability such as the US withdrawing its national 30x30 commitment in 2025, and the risk that governments protect remote, low-conflict land rather than the areas most important for biodiversity.