30x30 Ocean Action Plan 2025

30x30 Ocean Action Plan7 6 Foreword By Ambassador Peter Thomson, United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean We stand at a pivotal moment for ocean conservation. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) sets a bold, collective mission: to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030. The target requires that terrestrial, inland water, marine, and coastal areas—especially those critical for biodiversity and ecosystem services— are effectively conserved and managed through ecologically representative, well- connected, and equitably governed systems. To meaningfully achieve the target, sustainable use in these areas must fully support conservation outcomes. Most people realise the ocean is vital to life on Earth, and by now, most should know it faces unprecedented threats from climate change, pollution, and unchecked exploitation of its resources. The causes and effects of these challenges are widely known, but we cannot dwell on them, for urgent circumstance demands we should now be focussing on the solutions. Taken in tandem with other global frameworks, the GBF offers a comprehensive strategy to address biodiversity loss, with 30x30 being a key element. It is clear from the consensus of scientific evidence that if we don’t make meaningful progress towards the 30x30 target, we will be witness to a great cascading away of biodiversity on this planet. Millions of species will become extinct, with unavoidable effects on what remains of life. In response to the urgent calls made at the CBD COP16 in Colombia last year, I tasked Friends of Ocean Action with the development of a 30x30 Ocean Action Plan to be launched at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice this year. The explicit purpose of the Action Plan is to build momentum and accelerate progress toward 30x30 in the ocean. This report provides a frank assessment of current protection, identifies key opportunities to accelerate progress, and outlines strategic actions to catalyse political will, mobilise finance, and empower communities and institutions. Given the constraints of time, it does not claim to be comprehensive, but it does aim to provide clarity on where we stand, and it does highlight promising pathways forward. This report recognises that while we are not yet on track to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030, purposeful progress is underway and can be accelerated if all stakeholders unite behind the great task at hand. In so saying, it is important we see the 30x30 target as more than a conservation goal. It is in fact integral to long-term socio- economic prosperity, equity, and the rights of future generations.The Action Plan is addressed primarily to governments, who bear the responsibility for leadership and enabling frameworks. But the journey to 30x30 is not one that countries must walk alone. A growing ecosystem of multilateral alliances, technical partnerships, and financing platforms is already in motion. This Action Plan is not intended to prescribe fixed solutions or create another mechanism. The marine conservation landscape is already vibrant and diverse, with many actors driving positive action and tangible impact. Nevertheless, to overcome fragmentation and complexity, it would be helpful to the common cause if we can create better coordination and alignment. Therefore, this report is offered as a catalyst for unifying conversations, for illuminating existing enablers, and for fostering a collective resolve to turn ambition into tangible results. Addressed to governments, the Action Plan outlines some of the critical actions that are proven or have high-potential pathways to accelerate progress. Countries, depending on their national circumstances, can carefully The health of the ocean, upon which humankind depends for a resilient future, demands nothing less.consider the report’s recommendations and adapt these to their realities. At the same time, the Action Plan also posits how others can join these national efforts by supporting and further enabling governments to implement effective and equitable marine protection by 2030. The launch of this Action Plan is just the start of further focused concerted action towards achieving 30x30. Let us all, governments and civil society alike, take inspiration from this Action Plan and use it to assist each other in the development and implementation of clear, robust, national roadmaps to achieve 30x30. These will have to be presented at the next Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) that will take place in Armenia next year. And so, we all have work to do to protect biodiversity, both in terms of our immediate well-being and in the empiric cause of life on this planet. Let us get to it without delay. The health of the ocean, upon which humankind depends for a resilient future, demands nothing less. Photo: Wirestock / Envato Elements