In a new advance of transparency and a step to remove the mystery that has too-long shrouded the global efforts to protect 30% of the world’s Earth’s land, fresh water, and ocean habitats by 2030, a new tool has been launched for the general public to keep tabs on the progress being made from nation to nation.

The need is a simple but urgent one. In the two years since the world committed to its ‘30×30’ targets, only 2.8% of the ocean space is currently being effectively protected, while only 8.3% of the marine habitat is currently designated as Marine Protected Areas.

Now, at the halfway point to 2030, the need to make effective improvements on those figures is urgent. It’s why, unveiled at the Our Ocean Conference earlier this year in light of the chastising report On track or off course? Assessing progress toward the 30×30 target in the ocean (released ahead of the COP16 UN Biodiversity Conference this year), a new digital platform has now been built to better hold countries and stakeholders accountable to the commitments.

Built by SkyTruth, a nonprofit conservation technology organisation, with support from the Bloomberg Ocean Initiative, the 30×30 Progress Tracker is the first free, public, interactive platform designed for the general public to see how the world is doing on enhancing ocean protection globally in line with the goal of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030.

The platform can be used to track country-by-country progress and to gain insights on 30×30. The goal is to make information about 30×30 more accessible and transparent to everyone, including those in local communities who are directly impacted by this ambitious conservation effort.

In December 2022, over 190 countries adopted the 30×30 target under the landmark Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, marking the biggest conservation commitment the world has ever seen: to conserve at least 30% of the Earth’s land and water by 2030. But until now it has been very difficult to track the progress or effectiveness of this initiative, especially for non-expert audiences.

“As an organisation that specialises in the democratisation of data for conservation, we created the 30×30 Progress Tracker to give government agencies, advocacy organisations, and people who are directly impacted by the creation of protected areas an easy way to understand and communicate progress toward 30×30,” said John Amos, CEO of SkyTruth.

“We aim to offer data as the foundation for broadening public participation and dialog, ensuring bottom-up pressure on the world’s governments to stem the tide of extinction while respecting the rights and knowledge of local communities and Indigenous groups,” added Amos.

Jacqueline Savitz, chief policy officer at Oceana, said: “Strong Marine Protected Areas can increase ocean abundance and biodiversity within and well-beyond their boundaries. The 30×30 Progress Tracker will allow governments, journalists, NGOs, and researchers to track the data, monitor progress, and maintain accountability as we strive to truly protect 30% of our ocean ecosystems by 2030.”

The ocean protects the planet from the worst impacts of climate change by absorbing 90% of the excess heat caused by emissions from human activity. But as global heating intensifies, the ocean is changing faster than it ever has, and its ability to regulate global climate and weather patterns is weakening. Wildlife populations have declined by 69% globally in the last 50 years, and 90% of big ocean fish have been lost in the last century. Science is clear that protecting and conserving at least 30% of the planet is critical to safeguarding the vital ecosystems we depend on for our health and livelihoods. Yet today only 15% of land, 15% of freshwater, and 8% of the ocean are protected.

The new platform not only enables users to see the location of currently protected and conserved areas but also allows them to overlay the location of key habitats and areas recommended by expert analysis as critical places for protecting marine biodiversity.

For example, the Mediterranean Sea, is a world biodiversity hotspot and harbours around 11% of all marine species in less than 1% of the global marine area. However, the ocean faces numerous pollution threats and is warming 20% faster than the global ocean average due to climate change. The 30×30 Progress Tracker allows users to quickly see both how much of the ocean is reported as protected versus the amount that is independently verified, as well as what key habitats fall within the conserved area to better understand whether the correct areas are being protected, and if there are others that should be considered.

“Access to free, reliable, and real-time data is critical to ensuring effective marine conservation and fighting climate change,” said Melissa Wright, who leads the Bloomberg Ocean Initiative at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “We are proud to support SkyTruth’s 30×30 Progress Tracker. Now governments, civil society, and local communities can drive progress towards the global 30×30 target, expand Marine Protected Areas, and safeguard the health of our ocean.”

The Tracker will add more data as it becomes available, including socio-economic information and Indigenous territories. While the marine tracker is available now, SkyTruth plans to launch the terrestrial component at the COP16 United Nations Biodiversity Conference in October 2024.

“In the face of the planet’s alarming biodiversity loss, protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030 is one of the great callings of our times,” said Peter Thomson, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean. “To succeed in this endeavour, we need the right tools. By bringing multiple sources of data together, the 30×30 Progress Tracker offers a new and powerful platform empowering practitioners and advocacy organisations around the world to identify and map contributions toward 30×30. I trust this democratisation of data will not only help communicate conservation efforts but will also bring transparency and accountability to the task at hand.”

Meeting 30×30 requires governments to establish robust Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) or ‘other effective area-based conservation measures’ (OECMs). Last year’s adoption of a new High Seas Treaty provides a mechanism to ensure that protections can also be implemented in the 60% of the ocean that lies beyond national waters.

“2030 is around the corner,” said Amos. “We need all hands on deck to make this a success. The time is now.”

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