The High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People announced that the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the World Resources Institute (WRI) will host its new permanent Secretariat. The Coalition, launched at the One Planet Summit in Paris, France, in 2021, will lead effort by 116 countries to protect and conserve 30% of terrestrial and marine spaces by 2030.

With the adoption of the  Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), the UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP 15) formally agreed to protect and conserve 30% of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030.

Today, protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) cover about 17% of land and just over 8% of the ocean. That means land protections would need to double, and ocean protections more than quadruple, by the end of the decade.

Having fostered political engagement and country commitment to the “30 by 30” target, the High Ambition Coalition is moving to the implementation phase. According to a GEF/WRI joint press release, its Secretariat will promote capacity building and knowledge sharing to support countries in establishing and managing new protected or conserved areas, and “map, match, and mobilize” finance and technical assistance.

“The direction of travel begun by the High Ambition Coalition is absolutely the correct one and I am so pleased to see more countries chart their pathway to meet these crucial goals,” said GEF CEO and Chairperson Carlos Manuel Rodriguez.

The press release notes that the intergovernmental group is also committed to continue its support for “the inclusion, participation, and partnership of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, including the promotion of their leadership in conservation.”

“Any successful path towards reaching this goal to protect and restore nature will require countries to work together, especially with Indigenous Peoples and local communities,” noted WRI President and CEO Ani Dasgupta.

The High Ambition Coalition welcomes new country members. It is co-chaired by Costa Rica and France and by the UK as Ocean co-chair. [GEF Press Release] [WRI Press Release] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on the Coalition’s Establishment]