A study published on Tuesday suggests that designating an additional 1.2% of the world’s land as nature preserves could prevent the majority of predicted plant and animal extinctions. This effort would cost approximately $263 billion.
Key Findings:
- Global Conservation Goal: The world aims to protect 30% of its land by 2030 to combat wildlife decimation caused by climate change, pollution, and habitat destruction.
- Upcoming UN Summit: Global policymakers will discuss strategies to achieve this goal at a United Nations summit in Colombia in October.
- Study Focus: The research, published in Frontiers in Science, identifies high-value areas for conservation, according to co-author Carlos Peres, a conservation ecology expert at the University of East Anglia.
Detailed Insights:
- Additional Protected Areas: The study proposes protecting an extra 1.6 million square kilometers (633,000 square miles) across 16,825 sites globally, areas crucial for rare and threatened species. This adds to the nearly 16% of the world already under some form of protection.
- Cost Estimates: The $263 billion estimated cost covers acquiring new areas, often private properties, over the next five years. Maintenance costs for policing these reserves were not included.
- High-Value Regions: About three-quarters of the proposed sites are tropical forests, the most biodiverse ecosystems. The Philippines, Brazil, and Indonesia host over half of these crucial areas. Russia has the largest single high-value area, identified as 138,436 square kilometers, comparable to the size of Greece.
- African and Developed Nations: Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of Congo feature prominently among African countries with significant conservation targets. The United States is the only developed nation in the top 30, with conservation sites covering 0.6% of its land, an area twice the size of Delaware.
Challenges and Considerations:
- Urgency and Costs: Carlos Peres emphasized the urgency of action, noting that delays will increase costs and difficulty in setting aside protected areas.
- Focus on Land and Freshwater: The study focused on land and freshwater ecosystems, excluding oceans and marine protected areas. Invertebrates were also not considered due to the lack of comprehensive geographical distribution data.
This study underscores the importance of strategic conservation efforts to meet global biodiversity goals and protect endangered species.
Call to Action:
Policymakers and conservationists must prioritize high-value areas for protection to achieve the 30-by-30 target and ensure the preservation of the world’s biodiversity.