Mesoamerica charts a path to effective, sustainable 30x30 conservation

Mesoamerica is trying to reach the 30x30 biodiversity target without turning conservation into a race to mark hectares on a map. A regional forum in Mérida, in Mexico’s Yucatán state, brought together governments, Indigenous peoples, the private sector and conservation organizations to discuss how the target can work in practice.

The target refers to Goal 3 of the Global Biodiversity Framework: conserving at least 30% of land, inland waters and marine areas by 2030. The forum was organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Mexico’s Environment Ministry and the National Commission for Protected Natural Areas, with support from the Global Environment Facility, KfW and the Canadian government.

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This goal was the magnet that attracted these energies because it speaks to Indigenous peoples, governments and the private sector.

Úrsula Parrilla, the IUCN’s regional director for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, said the 30x30 goal had drawn different groups into the same conversation because it spoke to Indigenous communities, governments and businesses. Participants examined equitable governance, financing, sustainable production, ecological connectivity, evidence-based decisions, legal certainty and Indigenous participation.

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We cannot be irresponsible and, just to meet a 30x30 target, create new protected areas and put a mark on hectares if we do not have the resources to cover it.

Panama’s Vice Minister of Environment, Oscar Vallarino, said the discussions should produce a regional roadmap for Goal 3. They are also intended to provide input for the region’s positions at the Convention on Biological Diversity’s COP17 and at the IUCN World Congress of Protected and Conserved Areas, scheduled to take place in Panama in 2027.

“We cannot be irresponsible and, just to meet a 30x30 target, create new protected areas and put a mark on hectares if we do not have the resources to cover it,” Vallarino warned. Inter-American Development Bank figures show that the region has already protected 24.5% of its land and 25.3% of its marine areas.

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Communication has to focus on identifying the opportunities and the paths we need to build so that biodiversity can recover under the conditions society needs.

Mexico’s biodiversity and environmental restoration official Marina Robles said the next task involves identifying and multiplying successful experiences. She cited a fishing community in southern Baja California that had nearly exhausted its resources about 14 years ago but transformed its relationship with the surrounding environment. “They did not only restore their ecosystem, they restored themselves,” she said. The 30x30 framework also includes effective conservation measures outside traditional protected areas and territories managed under different governance models, including Indigenous systems.

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They did not only restore their ecosystem, they restored themselves.