Public strongly backs aim of 30% of land and sea set aside for nature
5 days ago
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- #conservation
- #public-opinion
- Overwhelming public support exists for protecting 30% of the world’s land and water by 2030 across eight surveyed countries.
- Only 17.6% of land and 8.6% of marine areas are currently protected, with over 100 nations lagging behind the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework target.
- Governments face political challenges in expanding protected areas, including restricting land access and economic impacts.
- A survey of 12,000 people in Argentina, Brazil, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and the US showed an average support of 82.4% for the 30x30 target.
- Argentinian and Brazilian respondents showed the highest support (87.9% and 90%), while Swedish and US respondents were slightly less supportive (66.3% and 71.2%).
- Public support increases when responsibility is shared equally among countries and richer nations bear most costs.
- The Wildlife Conservation Society finds the survey results encouraging for global biodiversity protection efforts.