At the ongoing 2024 UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 16), SkyTruth and Bloomberg Ocean Initiative announced a significant expansion of SkyTruth’s 30×30 Progress Tracker, introducing a new terrestrial (land) component that complements its existing marine conservation tracking capabilities.
The 30×30 Progress Tracker is the first free, public, interactive platform designed for government agencies, civil society campaigns and the general public to see how well the world is advancing toward the ambitious goal of protecting and conserving at least 30% of both land and sea by 2030. (Globally, it’s estimated that about 17% of land and around 8% of the ocean are currently protected through designated marine protected areas (MPAs).) The intention is to make this information more accessible and transparent to everyone, including those in local communities who are directly impacted by this ambitious conservation effort, which forms the cornerstone commitment within the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted by 196 countries in 2022.
Initially launched in April 2024 to track marine conservation efforts with support from the Bloomberg Ocean Initiative, the Tracker now provides a more holistic view of global biodiversity protection.
“With the addition of terrestrial data to our 30×30 Progress Tracker, we’re moving toward providing a more complete picture of global conservation efforts,” said Jason Schatz, CTO of SkyTruth. “This tool democratizes access to critical environmental data, allowing everyone from policymakers to local communities to engage meaningfully with the 30×30 initiative. As we face unprecedented biodiversity loss, transparency and accessibility of information are key to driving the urgent action needed to protect our planet.”
Key features of the new terrestrial component include:
- Side-by-side display of marine and terrestrial data for easy comparison
- Country-specific conservation targets and progress
- Detailed mapping of protected terrestrial habitats
- Research-based biodiversity protection recommendations
- An interactive “Conservation Builder” tool for visualizing potential protected areas
The tracker is not a replacement for the bevy of existing 30×30 data providers (e.g., World Database on Protected Areas, Marine Protection Atlas, ProtectedSeas Navigator), but rather an independent aggregator that is partnering with these providers to drive increased attention to the full ecosystem of tools. The expanded tracker incorporates advanced habitat classification based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature categories and highlights the top-ranked 30% of terrestrial areas for species conservation, based on recent scientific research.
The Tracker will add more data as it becomes available, including socio-economic information and data on the lands and rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, recognizing the critical role these communities play in biodiversity conservation.
“30×30 is the most ambitious conservation commitment ever made. Ensuring everyone has access to free and reliable data is essential to turning it into reality,” said Melissa Wright, who leads the Bloomberg Ocean Initiative at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “We are proud to support the expansion of SkyTruth’s 30×30 Progress Tracker. It provides a powerful tool for governments, civil society, and local communities that can help deliver effective and inclusive conservation both on land and at sea.”
While the marine component of the tracker includes assessments of protected area effectiveness, comparable data for terrestrial areas is still in development. SkyTruth is actively working with partners to incorporate this crucial information in future updates.
SkyTruth encourages users to explore the new terrestrial features, provide feedback, and utilize the tool to support conservation efforts worldwide.
“Accurate, timely, and easily accessible data on progress towards the 30×30 target is essential,” said Brian O’Donnell, Director of Campaign for Nature. “This tracker empowers all of us to know where we stand and where we need to improve to protect and conserve the most important areas on the planet and help ensure a viable future for millions of species.”
The update to SkyTruth’s 30×30 Progress Tracker follows last week’s launch of a new Metabolic report on the quantity and quality of marine protection globally. The analysis – On Track of Off Course? Assessing Progress on the 30×30 Target for the Ocean – which uses SkyTruth and MPAtlas data, reveals that countries have to date made very limited progress on the 30×30 target while stressing the need for standardized and accessible data.
SkyTruth is a conservation technology nonprofit that utilizes satellite imagery, machine learning, and big data to make hidden environmental problems visible, measurable, and actionable. SkyTruth envisions a world in which everyone enjoys a healthy environment and sustainable livelihood because transparency is the norm: polluters know they will be seen and caught, industries have cleaned up their practices, and governments are vigorously enforcing environmental protection.
