A recent analysis by the Marine Conservation Institute examines global progress toward the 30×30 goal — the international target to protect 30% of the world’s oceans, seas, and coastal waters by 2030. As the UN Ocean Decade (2021–2030) reaches its midpoint at the end of 2025, this assessment highlights key data and emerging opportunities to accelerate marine conservation efforts.
Using data from the Marine Protection Atlas (MPAtlas), which applies a scientific framework to evaluate marine protected areas (MPAs) based on ecological effectiveness, the report shows that although nearly 43.8 million km² of ocean has been assessed, only 3.2% of the global ocean is currently fully or highly protected — meaning it has strong regulations and management in place to deliver significant biodiversity outcomes. By contrast, the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) reports about 9.6% of ocean area as protected, but much of this lacks effective on‑the‑water implementation.
The briefing underscores that an additional 27% of the ocean must be effectively protected within the next five years to match the 30×30 target, and discusses emerging “beacons of hope” from recent years. These include the ratification of the High Seas Treaty, which enables protection beyond national jurisdictions, and bold MPA commitments from countries such as Chile, American Samoa, South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands, and French Polynesia.
Looking ahead, the report calls for continued expansion of effective MPAs worldwide, stronger implementation of protections, and increased global collaboration to secure ocean health and biodiversity.
Source: Marine Conservation Institute — “Halfway to 30×30?” (January 9, 2026)
🔗 https://marine-conservation.org/on-the-tide/halfway-to-30×30/
