Key Pathways to Protecting 30% of Australia’s Land by 2030

In December 2022, 196 nations around the world committed to protecting at least 30% of terrestrial and inland water areas and marine and coastal areas by 2030, one of the targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The ‘30 × 30’ target is one of the most ambitious conservation targets committed to at a global level, and some countries have also made policy commitments to achieve this target at a national level, including Australia. Australia is making progress towards this target, with 22.57% of Australia’s land already protected in 2024 (up from 7% in the mid-1990s), and support across federal, state and territory jurisdictions for a coordinated national approach. To protect at least an additional 57.2 million hectares of land to meet the 30% coverage target in an ecologically representative manner, clear pathways are required. This article makes the case for the most effective and efficient pathways for Australia to achieve its 30 × 30 ambitions, based on past successful science-informed policy and practice. Four key pathways are outlined. These are (1) establish a new dedicated AU$5 billion fund for the purchase of land of high biodiversity importance to create new public, private or Indigenous protected areas; (2) continue to support the creation of new Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) to meet Traditional Owner demand and establish secure long-term funding for IPA management; (3) increase support for the uptake of permanent conservation covenants on private and leasehold land through federal government support for covenant programs, particularly in ecologically under-represented bioregions, develop enhanced protection conservation covenants, and review federal and state tax and financial incentives and barriers to private land conservation; and (4) systematically review public land to identify areas of high conservation significance and subsequent protected area opportunities. Aspects of Australia’s past and potential future approach to meeting area-based protection targets could be useful for other nations as they aim to contribute to the global 30 × 30 target.