30by30: 30% of Land and Seas Effectively Conserved and Managed by 2030
Commitment: Effectively conserve and manage at least 30% of the UK’s land and 30% of its seas by 2030. This is a statutory UK commitment under the Global Biodiversity Framework (Kunming-Montreal GBF Target 3), to which the UK is a signatory.
Owner: Defra (land); Defra/DESNZ jointly (seas)
Target date: 2030
Metric: % of land area and sea area under effective conservation management. OEP monitors progress.
Status: at-risk
What counts toward 30by30
For land:
- Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) — currently ~8% of England’s land area
- National Nature Reserves (NNRs)
- Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) designated areas
- ELM-funded habitat creation (Landscape Recovery schemes)
- Private protected areas meeting IUCN standards
For seas:
- Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) — ~38% of English waters designated but many not at “favourable condition”
Key gap: designation vs. effective management
The UK already has large areas designated as protected — particularly at sea. The critical constraint is favourable condition: designation does not guarantee effective conservation. Many MPAs and SSSIs are designated but in unfavourable condition due to:
- Agricultural runoff (nutrient pollution)
- Damaging fishing practices (bottom trawling in MPAs)
- Development pressures
The 30by30 target requires effective management, not merely designation. This substantially narrows the baseline.
Delivery history
- [2022] UK committed to 30by30 at COP15 (Kunming-Montreal GBF)
- [2023] EIP 2023 set out delivery framework
- [January 2025] EIP 2025: statutory target reaffirmed; LNRSs identified as primary land mechanism
- [December 2025] PIA 2025 enacted: BNG mandatory for NSIPs from May 2026; NRF established
Key tensions
- clean-power-marine-environment — Offshore wind (43-50GW target) overlaps with sea area needed for 30by30 marine component; OWEIP is mitigation but not resolution
- housing-biodiversity — 1.5 million homes vs. protecting/expanding land under effective conservation management; NRF is the proposed bridge