30x30 Ocean Action Plan 2025

30x30 Ocean Action Plan47 46Mobilise political leadership and embed 30x30 in national frameworks • Mobilise high-level national leadership by establishing government-endorsed inter- ministerial bodies, with formally appointed 30x30 focal points. These bodies should be empowered to coordinate 30x30 implementation and align it with broader national planning and GBF targets and facilitate cross-sector coordination – including resolving potential conflicting interests and political tensions (i.e. fisheries, offshore energy and aquaculture, etc). National ambitions should reflect each country’s context, capacity, and ecological priorities, while still contributing meaningfully to the global 30x30 goal. • Establish a national 30x30 collaboration platform co-convened by government, Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs), civil society, private sector, and academia to align interests, identify barriers and opportunities, and track progress through inclusive dialogue and regional coordination. • As part of this, embed legal recognition of Indigenous Peoples as rights-holders, uphold customary marine tenure, and—where appropriate—extend recognition to local communities with longstanding stewardship roles, based on national contexts, customary practices, and participatory processes. • Adopt legally binding marine protection standards with clear pathways for MPA and OECM designation, enforcement, and adaptive management. Integrate 30x30 into NBSAPs, NDCs, Sustainable Development Plans, and Sustainable Ocean Plans to ensure coordination and financing. • Develop national 30x30 roadmaps outlining site pipelines and implementation steps grounded in science, law, participation, and finance, and incorporate these into NBSAPs by CBD COP17 in 2026. • Reform marine governance frameworks to distinguish community-led ocean uses from industrial and extractive sectors. Promote the principle of 100% ocean management— ensuring all marine areas are covered by planning or regulation rooted in ecosystem- based management. These plans should include at least 30% fully or highly protected zones to safeguard marine natural capital and support a thriving blue economy.Action Area 2 Accelerating Protection in Key Geographies Accelerate the designation of MPAs and identification of OECMs • Fast-track the designation of MPAs and the identification of OECMs already in planning or consultation by assigning a lead authority, securing funding, finalising management and governance plans, conducting stakeholder validation, and setting a fixed legal timeline—while integrating monitoring and evaluation systems into the design phase using internationally recognised criteria, so that designated sites meet reporting standards (e.g. CBD Decision 14/8 (2018) Annex III criteria, WDPA, WD-OECM database, MPAtlas, IUCN Green List) and deliver measurable conservation outcomes from the outset. • As part of governance planning, institutionalise participatory governance through permanent national and site-level platforms that embed diverse voices—particularly those of women, youth, and marginalised coastal stakeholders—into the ongoing planning, implementation, and adaptive management of designated areas. A key aspect of this is ensuring that community-led and locally- managed marine protection efforts are actively engaged and have clear and accessible ways of reporting conservation outcomes to the relevant national-level body, so that these efforts can be reported by countries and recognised at a global level. • Integrate both scientific and Indigenous knowledge systems from the outset in site design, governance, and management planning and throughout the life cycle of the MPA or OECM, including during periodic evaluation and adaptive management. All designated sites should include a defined schedule for periodic review, drawing on monitoring and evaluation data to inform adaptive management and continuous improvement. • For designation in the high seas, governments should leverage scientific and technical support and coordination platforms—such as the High Seas MPA Accelerator—to collaboratively develop high-quality MPA proposals under the BBNJ Agreement.Action Area 2 Accelerating Protection in Key Geographies Photo: Delightfull / Envato Elements