A new study released on Wednesday, October 17, 2024, by Dynamic Planet and National Geographic Pristine Seas quantifies, for the first time, the number of marine protected areas (MPAs) needed to reach the global target of protecting 30% of our ocean by 2030 (30×30) – which world leaders agreed to at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity Conference (COP15) in December 2022.

The findings reveal the stunning gap between leaders’ stated ambitions and the concrete actions that have been taken to protect the ocean. According to the study, to fill the gap between the current 8% of the global ocean under some kind of protection and 30%, the world needs to establish approximately 190,000 small MPAs in coastal regions alone, and an additional 300 large MPAs in remote, offshore areas globally by the end of 2030 to meet the target.

As the biodiversity COP16 is taking place from October 21 to November 1, 2024, and with only six years left to deliver the biodiversity targets the world agreed to, these findings are said to be a strong reality check and a call for much higher levels of ambition by governments.

“We know how to restore the ocean’s incredible power to fuel life on earth, but time is running out,” said Kristin Rechberger, CEO of Dynamic Planet and lead author of the study. “If we are to meet the global target of conserving 30% of the ocean by 2030, the absolute minimum that is required to protect people and the planet from the worst impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, and rising food insecurity, 85 MPAs would need to be created daily over six years starting in 2025.”

Currently, only 8.2% of the ocean is in some form of protection – and only 3% is highly protected from damaging activities. An overwhelming body of peer-reviewed research shows that MPAs that ban fishing are the most effective mechanism to replenish marine life and deliver countless benefits to people, the economy and the climate.

Furthermore, since most biodiversity and human activities are concentrated in nearshore areas, fully or highly protected coastal MPAs are particularly important. These reserves deliver numerous benefits: they restore marine life inside their boundaries, enhance food security, foster climate resilience, support jobs, provide economic benefits and improve human health in their vicinity.

Using the World Database on Protected Areas, the authors estimated the portion of each country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) (12-200 nautical miles) and territorial sea (0-12 nautical miles) currently under protection. Then, assuming an equal protection target for both, they calculated the area needed to reach the 30% target in each zone.

They found that achieving the 30% target will demand significant contributions from countries with extensive coastlines and large EEZs, such as Indonesia, Canada, Russia and the United States, with most MPA needs in East Asia and the Pacific (102 large MPAs, 75,000 small MPAs), followed by Europe, southern Asia and the Coral Triangle (65 large MPAs, 33,000 small MPAs).

“Our analysis, which covers over 13,000 MPAs worldwide, quickly revealed how far behind the world really is,” said Juan Mayorga, a co-author of the study and marine data scientist at National Geographic Pristine Seas. “The exact number of additional MPAs needed depends on their size and the standards for what counts as truly protected, but the scale of the challenge is undeniable.”

The study found that nations like Australia, Chile, France and the United Kingdom have already surpassed the 30% protection threshold in their EEZs, even though for France and the U.K. this has been accomplished in highly protected MPAs in their overseas territories, not in their mainland waters. In addition, the authors highlight that many existing MPAs are not effective. For instance, across the European Union, more than 80% of existing MPAs lack proper management and offer minimal or no protection from damaging human activities.

“The pace of implementation of marine protected areas is totally inadequate for what the world needs,” said Enric Sala, co-author of the study and founder of National Geographic Pristine Seas. “We’ve had too many conferences full of speeches and good intentions; now we need leadership and real action. Without more effective protection now, the ocean won’t be able to continue providing for us, especially for coastal communities in the Global South who are already suffering from overfishing and global warming.”

A New Pathway to Scale MPAs

While the benefits of coastal MPAs for nature and people are well-documented, the authors warn that establishment has been far too slow to meet the 30×30 target. Furthermore, most countries have yet to detail a roadmap to achieve the global 30×30 target. The study identifies three main roadblocks hindering this progress and proposes solutions to put forward a new model for implementing and managing coastal MPAs that enables fast replication, efficient management and sustainable financing.

In most coastal countries, MPAs are implemented and managed by government agencies who tend to view MPAs as a financial burden, traditionally relying on philanthropy and government funding. However, research has shown that highly protected coastal MPAs are good for business, extensively benefiting coastal marine tourism and fishing. Evidence suggests that the combined economic benefits of coastal MPAs through improved tourism, fisheries and other ecosystem services often outweigh the costs of their creation and maintenance as early as year two after protection, with every $1 invested in an MPA generating $10 in economic output.

The study, therefore, proposes a new model to scale coastal ocean protection where coastal MPAs are implemented as a private business, managed by a joint venture of shareholders, including fishers and tourism operators. This locally led, business-oriented model, the authors argue, would significantly enable the replication and scaling of coastal MPAs that is needed to achieve the global 30×30 target in territorial seas.

“Successful examples of profitable coastal MPAs from around the world such as the Chumbe Island Coral Park in Tanzania, and the Misool Marine Reserve in Indonesia, prove that reviving the ocean is also good business,” Rechberger added. “Coastal MPAs are also excellent social enterprises and generate massive benefits for frontline communities.”

“Without a shift in the antiquated conservation model where initiatives are led by slow-moving governments, there is no hope in protecting our planet from the disastrous impacts of a dying ocean. The time for national governments to hand over power to local governments is now, before it’s too late,” Rechberger continued.