Chesapeake Conservancy Hails COP15 Agreement To Conserve 30% Of Earth's Lands And Waters By 2030

Today, more than 190 countries signed a historic global framework to conserve 30% of Earth’s lands and waters in order to protect the planet’s biodiversity. Currently, only about 17% of Earth’s lands and 10% of its marine areas are considered protected. The landmark agreement made at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal includes 23 “global targets for urgent action,” including raising $200B by 2030 and reducing up to $500B in subsidies and incentives harmful to biodiversity.

Chesapeake Conservancy President and CEO Joel Dunn issued the following statement:

“On behalf of Chesapeake Conservancy, I applaud the historic agreement of COP15 that establishes a global goal to conserve 30% of Earth’s lands and waters by 2030.

“For decades, scientists have studied and meticulously tracked the decline of biodiversity and species abundance in landscapes around the world. Habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution, climate change, exploitation and other impacts have driven more and more species to extinction. Scientists like the late Thomas Lovejoy have demonstrated with clear and jarring evidence the impending collapse of ecosystems and biodiversity, and they have underscored the urgent need for a global conservation effort at scales never before seen.

“The COP15 agreement is the most significant endorsement of the need to address the biodiversity crisis and set a global target of at least 30% conserved lands and waters by 2030. In efforts to address climate change, the Biden Administration has established a national goal to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.

“Achieving this global goal, and the national goal set by the Biden Administration, requires an acceleration of local conservation efforts in key landscapes. It requires governments, businesses, scientists and conservationists to partner together and collaborate like never before. Finally, getting to 30 x 30 requires high-resolution, real-time data that can give us a ‘pulse of the planet’ and help us to target efforts and resources.

“Chesapeake Conservancy and many partners are working diligently to conserve 30% of the lands in the Chesapeake Bay watershed by 2030, using data and partnerships as our theory of change. With more than 23% of lands already conserved, the Chesapeake Bay watershed is a leading example demonstrating large landscape conservation to protect ecosystems and wildlife for the benefit of people and nature.”

About Chesapeake Conservancy
Chesapeake Conservancy’s mission is to conserve and restore the natural and cultural resources of the Chesapeake Bay watershed for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of this and future generations. We empower the conservation community with access to the latest data and technology. We partnered to help create 206 new public access sites and permanently protect some of the Bay’s special places like Werowocomoco, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park, Mallows Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Fort Monroe National Monument, Elktonia Beach and Pissacoack along Fones Cliffs on the Rappahannock River. For more information, visit www.chesapeakeconservancy.org