30x30: the opportunities and the challenges
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- Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
- Written by editor
The best chance for conservation and climate justice!
Dear Paov,
2023 was the hottest year ever recorded. 2024 is following suit. Over the past few decades, thousands of species have been, and continue to be, pushed towards extinction globally.
It's a grim picture, but hope remains: a wave of conservation initiatives, aimed at countering the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, is gaining momentum worldwide.
From rallies in the streets to promises from national governments, support for 30x30 —... protecting 30 per cent of the planet by 2030 — has exploded. We have six short years to lay the groundwork for a better, fairer and safer future. And for this, we need a proper roadmap.
That’s why, we’ve published 30x30: Opportunities and Challenges.
Our paper breaks down what the 30x30 initiative means and lays out what’s needed to ensure this goal is met in a timely and just way.
For too long, nature conservation has come at the expense of Indigenous communities, cutting them off from their lands and disrupting their ways of life. The new wave of conservation efforts and initiatives must put First Nations, Inuit and Métis governments at the forefront.
Conservation targets also face another constant threat: lobbying from extractive resource industries, which we know will not stop. Protecting important ecosystems, brimming with biological and cultural value, will inevitably mean reducing the amount of land available for logging, mining, oil and gas, and other extractive industries.
Some provinces and territories have set targets to meet 30x30. Other jurisdictions lag behind. But not one has created a concrete plan or timeline to hit this ambitious goal.
Your next action can make a difference! Please write to your premier and call on your government to commit to, and fund, a 30x30 goal. And when you’re done with this first step, discuss the opportunities and challenges of this initiative with your family, friends and colleagues.
If you wish to receive additional copies of our paper to distribute in your community, let us know at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Charting an alternative course requires much more than doubling the amount of protected areas — we need to totally reimagine our relationship with nature and our place within it. Everyone in elected office in 2024 has a responsibility to be a leader on this and it's up to all of us to demand they do so.
Bold, transformational change is within our power. But we can only get there together.
Towards environmental justice,
Torrance Coste Associate Director
Wilderness Committee
P.S. What does it take to do this right? Thanks to you, we’re working hard to align our campaigns with Indigenous-led and community efforts to protect lands and waters. We can invest time and resources to get out into communities, build and strengthen relationships with people and the land. If you’re in a position to do so, please click here to make a gift to support this work.
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