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ECOSYSTEMS AND BIODIVERSITY

Protected and conserved areas
Mexico and the new goal of protecting 30% of the planet by 2030
The real adoption of the 30×30 goal should allow for an effective and connected network of protected and conserved areas where not only the conservation surface is increased, but also the assertiveness and quality

By Mariana Martínez del Río de la Torre, Mónica Álvarez Malvido and Andrew J. Rhodes Espinoza | This Country

Protected and conserved areas are effective instruments that safeguard biodiversity and reduce the impacts of climate change.
The UN Convention on Biological Diversity's Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework is now being negotiated and includes a proposal known as the "30×30 target".

It aims to conserve at least 30% of the planet by 2030 through a network of protected areas and by adding a new instrument called Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OMEC).

Experts argue that 50% of the planet conserved would be required to address the climate and biodiversity crisis, however, 30% has been agreed as an achievable target for 2030, as it is the minimum percentage coverage for benefits to outweigh costs by a ratio of 5 to 1.

Protected and conserved areas are effective instruments that safeguard biodiversity and reduce the impacts of climate change.

The proposal

To address the double crisis of biodiversity loss and climate change, Mexico needs to be more ambitious in key transformative actions to achieve it. The real adoption of the 30×30 target must allow for an effective and connected network of protected and conserved areas (NPAs, ADVCs and potentially OMECs, among other instruments) that not only increases the area under conservation, but also its assertiveness and quality.

In addition, the implementation of the 30×30 must be carried out with a human rights approach and with recognition and increased benefits for indigenous and local communities that protect nature. This requires raising the importance of the issue at the national level, as well as public and private investment and empowerment of subnational spheres.

To be successful in protecting at least 30% of land and seas and sustainably managing the remaining percentage, it is imperative to address the root causes of biodiversity loss, such as the economic system that does not account for the value of biodiversity, as well as unsustainable extraction, production, trade and consumption patterns.

It is essential to increase knowledge, share responsibility and make visible the dependence and impacts of the productive sectors on nature in order to reduce the high pressures of biodiversity loss. These changes must be made through investment in conservation efforts and instruments in the country, as well as by applying sustainable practices in businesses and productive sectors.

How Mexico and the world recovers from the economic crisis resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic is key to ensuring our survival as a species. Our well-being and the likelihood of avoiding future pandemics is directly proportional to the level of ambition, leadership and effective implementation of the new Global Biodiversity Framework.

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