Increasing Global Marine Protected Area Target and Coverage under the Convention on Biological Diversity

In 2010, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity for 2011-2020, including the Aichi Targets. Aichi Target 11 set a goal of protecting at least 10% of marine and coastal areas... [ view full abstract ]

In 2010, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity for 2011-2020, including the Aichi Targets. Aichi Target 11 set a goal of protecting at least 10% of marine and coastal areas by 2020. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 14.5 provided further political support toward this target and timeline. Since the adoption of Aichi Target 11, scientific research has provided evidence that an area-based target of 10% is insufficient to meet sustainability goals. In 2014 at the Sixth IUCN World Parks Congress, participants recommended that at least 30% of each marine habitat be protected, and at the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress, members adopted a resolution encouraging State members to increase MPAs in their national waters to at least 30%, and Parties to the CBD to consider a process for an MPA target of 30% by 2030. As we approach 2020, CBD Parties have been ramping up efforts to meet Aichi Target 11, with large marine reserves and protected areas announced recently by the governments of Palau, Mexico, and Chile. With progress being made towards the Aichi Target and new global ambitions expressed, what comes after 2020? The CBD Secretariat is undertaking a participatory process to develop the Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework. Marine conservation biologists can seize the opportunities for stakeholder and public input into this process before the 2020 CBD Conference of the Parties, which will consider and potentially adopt the Framework.  Some key considerations might include effectiveness, specific objectives, climate change, and getting buy-in.