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Agenda 2030

15

Life on Land

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems

Key Targets
  • 1 By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems.
  • 2 By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests.
  • 3 By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil.
  • 4 By 2020, ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems.
  • 5 Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats and halt the loss of biodiversity.
Key Facts
1 million animal and plant species are currently threatened with extinction.
Land degradation affects 3.2 billion people and costs over $300 billion per year.
Forests cover 31% of the land area on our planet.
Deforestation removes 10 million hectares of forest every year.
Global Progress

Terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity are under unprecedented pressure — land degradation, deforestation, and species extinction are all accelerating. However, the global policy framework has significantly strengthened with the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework, and protected land areas are at their largest extent in history.

What We've Accomplished

  • Protected land areas grew from 10% to 17% of the world's terrestrial surface between 2000 and 2023.
  • The Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework (2022) committed 196 nations to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030.
  • Net deforestation in Brazil's Amazon fell by 50% between 2005 and 2014 under REDD+ programmes.
  • Costa Rica reversed deforestation entirely — forest cover grew from 21% in 1987 to over 57% today.
  • China planted 66 billion trees between 2017 and 2022 — the world's largest tree-planting campaign.

2030 Outlook

Off Track

Species extinction rates are 100 to 1,000 times above natural background levels. Over 1 million species face extinction. Net forest cover continues to decline — Brazil's Amazon deforestation spiked again in 2021–2022 before policy reversal. The 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets were largely missed. Achieving the 30x30 target by 2030 will require protecting nearly double the current area of land within just four years.

Leading Nations

Costa Rica Reversed deforestation; forest cover grew from 21% to 57%; pays landowners to protect forests.
Bhutan Constitutionally 60%+ forest cover; first country to measure Gross National Happiness over GDP.
Germany National biodiversity strategy with strict habitat protection; leads EU nature restoration law.
New Zealand Ambitious Predator Free 2050 program; significant native bird species recovery across islands.
China World's largest tree-planting campaigns and national park system expansion covering 18% of its territory.