UK Target 3: The UK will ensure and enable that by 2030 at least 30 per cent of terrestrial and inland water areas, and of marine and coastal areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, are effectively conserved and managed through ecologically representative, well-connected and equitably governed systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, recognising indigenous and traditional territories, where applicable, and integrated into wider landscapes, seascapes and the ocean, while ensuring that any sustainable use, where appropriate in such areas, is fully consistent with conservation outcomes, recognising and respecting the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, including over their traditional territories[1].

Commitments:

UK

• We will protect 30% of our land and 30% of our ocean by 2030. 
• We will ensure and enable delivery overseas of Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) target 3 through our programmes funded through Official Development Assistance (ODA) and International Climate Finance.
• Following the UK’s signing of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (the BBNJ Agreement) on 20 September 2023, the UK introduced legislation on 10 September 2025 to enable the UK to implement its obligations under the BBNJ Agreement and move towards ratification.
• We will work with other countries to ensure the BBNJ Agreement is ratified and implemented quickly and effectively. This will support delivery of 30by30 in the global ocean (over 60% of which lies in areas beyond national jurisdiction).
• Building on our investment in, and previous role as Ocean Co-Chair of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature & People (HAC for N&P), we will continue to steer and shape the work of the HAC for N&P, which will support its members to implement GBF Target 3 using technical and financial matchmaking tools and a knowledge-sharing platform, including through our role as Ocean Champion on the International Steering Committee. 

England

• We will deliver 30by30 in England on land and at sea.
• We will ensure that 70% of designated features in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are in favourable condition by 2042, with the remainder in recovering condition, with an interim target: to ensure at least 49% of MPA protected features are in favourable condition and at least 46% in recovering condition by December 2030.
• We will ensure that by December 2030, 50% of Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) features have actions on track by 2030 to achieve favourable condition.
• We will  increase the contribution that Protected Landscapes make to Environment Act and Environmental Improvement Plan targets, measured through the Protected Landscapes Targets and Outcomes Framework.

Scotland  

• We will expand our protected areas to at least 30% of the land and seas.
• We will put in place fisheries management measures for those sites in the MPA network that require them, increasing the level of protection to support the recovery and resilience of Scotland’s seas.
• We will also have restored over 250,000 ha of peatland with £250 million of investment over 10 years, protecting this significant carbon store, and restoring wetland habitats.
• We will assess the network of MPAs in respect of the resilience of marine biodiversity to climate change, based on the information and methodology from the regional assessment conducted by the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR).
• We will develop and implement an adaptive management framework for the MPA network by 2028.

Wales

• We will transform our protected sites series so that it is better, bigger and more effectively connected. We will do this by expanding and accelerating our Nature Networks Programme to help improve the condition and connectivity of our protected sites and make them more resilient to climate change.
• We will review the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) series to inform an accelerated notification programme, aligning it with the Nature Network Programme. In the longer term, we will embark on an ambitious programme of protected site designations with an accelerated notification process to align with and strengthen the nature networks, prioritising those areas where need has already been identified.
• We will recognise, with ‘Naturfa status’, areas outside the protected sites series that contribute to the 30by30 target, celebrating outstanding stewardship of nature by communities across Wales.
• To support collaborative partnership approaches at the local level, we will invest in our Local Nature Partnerships (LNPs). LNPs bring together organisations, businesses and communities to take collective action to address local priorities.
• We will complete our network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to ensure the shortfalls in protection of habitats and features are addressed. This will mean the MPA network is ecologically coherent and connected, improving resilience and condition.

Northern Ireland

• We will ensure that at least 30% of land and freshwater is protected, connected and managed for nature.
• 95% of the features underlying the designation of ASSIs are to be in, or approaching, favourable conservation condition by 2030.
• We will increase Northern Ireland’s woodland cover to at least 9% (124,000 ha) by 2030.
• We will develop and implement nature recovery plans and programmes, including nature-based solutions, for protected areas, priority habitats and species, nature recovery networks and other effective conservation measures (OECMs).
• We will review our existing protected site network and its effectiveness in safeguarding priority habitats and species and contributing to ecological and climate resilience, to inform the completion of our designation programme and to meet our 30by30 and other related commitments.
• We will ensure that 30% of seas are protected, ensuring an ecologically coherent and well managed MPA network by 2030.
• We will deliver further work on ecological coherence across our network by designating new MPAs by 2028 and implementing appropriate management measures where necessary, in line with targets in the Environmental Improvement Plan for Northern Ireland.

UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies

The British Virgin Islands 

• We will preserve 10,000 acres of seagrass with the assistance of the Global Climate Fund.
• We will expand the current system of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), considering the need to better protect key coastal habitats and the resources they support.
• By 2036, we will ensure that emphasis is placed on the protection of all ecosystems with particular attention to the mountains which are the beginning of the water sources.

The Falkland Islands

• We will implement marine management and protection through consulting on Marine Managed Areas (MMAs) and the development of fine-scale MMA policy and policy instruments (e.g. legislation).
• We will establish Marine Managed Areas, with a target of 15% of our marine waters designated and with management plans in place.
• We will improve protected areas (national nature reserves) through identifying existing nature reserves and potential sites as protected areas on Falkland Island Government and Falklands Land Holdings land; scoping costs and barriers; briefing Members of the Legislative Assembly to determine scope and priority level; and establishing national nature reserves with management plans.

Gibraltar

• We will increase the extent of terrestrial and marine protected areas, including the designation of micro-protected area networks beyond the 30% target which has already been met in Gibraltar.
• We will create new artificial reefs in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters.
• We will work towards inclusion of Gibraltar’s protected areas in the UNESCO Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve.

The Isle of Man

• By 2025, we will appropriately conserve and manage 20% of land and inland water through statutory designations and other effective conservation management schemes.

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 

• The South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands protected areas will have a focus on holistic protection of the ecosystem and promotion of biodiversity alongside globally significant science and sustainable tourism and will recognise and maintain its pristine nature and absence of introduced species, and strengthen the inherent protection that arises from the islands’ inaccessibility.

UK

• The UK Joint Fisheries Statement sets out the policies for achieving, or contributing to the achievement of, the eight fisheries objectives in the Fisheries Act 2020: sustainability, precautionary, ecosystem, scientific evidence, bycatch, equal access, national benefit and climate change objectives.
• The UK Presidency led the COP26 Indigenous People and Local Communities (IPLC) Forest Tenure Donor Pledge, recognising the critical role of IPLCs in protecting tropical forests and protecting biodiversity and vital ecosystem services, and committing funding to advance forest tenure rights.

England  

• Statutory targets are set under the Environment Act 2021, including on water quality, habitat restoration and creation, tree and woodland cover, and species recovery.
• We will protect Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Highly Protected Marine Areas by implementing fisheries management byelaws by the end of 2026, other fisheries measures by the end of 2028 and management measures for other damaging activities by the end of 2030.
• We will review England’s MPA network by the end of 2028.
• We will implement the Marine Strategy Regulations 2010 and work toward targets under the UK Marine Strategy for Good Environmental Status.
• We will deliver Protected Site Strategies for up to 12 sites – including the five current pilots – by March 2026 to restore and improve their condition, helping to address upstream environmental pressure such as pollution and habitat degradation. We will use this evidence to inform the rollout to other protected sites, including by updating relevant site condition assessments.
• Competent authorities have a duty to protect, conserve and restore European sites including considering how they can help protect, conserve or restore the designated features of the site to meet their conservation objectives, prevent the deterioration of the site’s habitats from human activity or natural changes, including habitats that support designated species, or prevent significant disturbance of the site’s designated species from human activity or natural changes.
• We will support implementation of new legislation enabling National Parks and National Landscapes to deliver better outcomes for nature, climate, people and place. This legislation will support delivery of the Protected Landscapes Targets and Outcomes Framework and thereby 30by30.
• The Landscape Recovery scheme supports ambitious, long-term projects to deliver environmental and climate goods at a landscape scale. Round 1 of Landscape Recovery supported 22 projects with development grants that collectively aim to restore over 600 km of rivers and target the conservation of over 260 flagship species such as water vole, lapwing, and great crested newt. Round 2 launched in spring 2023, with 34 projects focused on net zero and biodiversity being awarded development grants
• We will support farmers and land managers to manage wildlife-rich habitat using appropriate agri-environment options for the habitat type, so the habitat can stay, or become of, sufficient quality.
• We will use the Nature Restoration Fund to pool developer contributions for environmental mitigations, allowing for strategic conservation measures at scale. In 2026, we will launch the first set of Environmental Delivery Plans to enable the roll-out of the fund.
• We will publish a Trees Action Plan in 2026 to set out how we will improve the resilience and condition of England’s trees, woods and forests .
• We will publish Local Nature Recovery Strategies to cover the whole of England for use by public, private and voluntary sectors to deliver nature recovery and wider environmental commitments by the end of 2025 or shortly after.

Scotland

• The  Update to the climate change plan 2018–2032: securing a green recovery on a path to net zero provides an update to the 2018 plan in light of new targets set by the Climate Change Act 2019. It includes plans for investing in and delivering upon peatland restoration targets.
• Scotland's Forestry Strategy 2019–2029 outlines a 50-year vision and 10-year framework to implement actions aimed at expanding, protecting and enhancing Scotland’s forests and woodlands.
• A marine and coastal restoration plan was published in December 2025 and sets out actions to accelerate active restoration of habitats and species across Scotland and support communities interested in undertaking restoration.
• Our sustainable goose management schemes for Islay, Solway, Kintyre, South Walls, and Uist, Coll, and Tiree aim to help land managers to support populations of wintering geese associated with neighbouring Special Protection Areas.
• Central Scotland Green Network’s 2021 Habitat Connectivity Map is a habitat mapping tool showing existing habitat patches throughout Central Scotland and predicting potential areas where these can be connected.
• We recently consulted on proposals to amend the National Parks (Scotland) Act to strengthen its aims and ability to protect biodiversity.
• We will utilise our 30 by 30 Framework, developed through a co-design process, to provide the vision and guiding principles to implement this target.

Wales

• The Welsh Government Programme for Government – Update includes a commitment to work towards the establishment of an Environmental Governance Body, with a statutory duty and targets to protect and restore biodiversity.
• The  Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 focuses on improving the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales. Within its seven well-being goals are targets for Wales to maintain and enhance a biodiverse natural environment that supports ecological resilience. Each year, public bodies must publish an annual report demonstrating the progress made towards meeting their objectives.
• Biodiversity Deep Dive: Recommendations outlines the outcomes of a deep dive focussing on protecting at least 30% of the land and 30% of the sea by 2030. The document sets out how Wales will take immediate action to ensure protected sites are effectively and equitably managed by 2030. 
• A 30by30 Framework for Wales sets out our approach to protecting 30% of our land, freshwater, and seas for people and nature by 2030. It provides clear, consistent criteria for areas that will contribute to it.
• The Natural Resources Policy sets out how Welsh Government policies can deliver both economic and environmental objectives, and specifically how Wales will manage its natural resources. 
• The Welsh National Marine Plan provides a strategic framework to manage our seas to support economic, social, cultural and environmental objectives. This includes supporting the development and functioning of a well-managed and ecologically coherent network of MPAs to protect, conserve, restore and enhance marine biodiversity.
• We will deliver the completion of the MPA network through the Marine Protected Area Management Framework and the Marine Protected Area Network Management Action Plan for Wales.
• Mobilising Green Investment 2023 Green Finance Strategy is the UK’s strategy for mobilising the investment needed to meet our climate and nature objectives. This includes key actions by the Welsh Government to deliver investment for Net Zero Wales and the 30by30 target.

Northern Ireland

• The  Environmental Improvement Plan for Northern Ireland sets out the six Strategic Environmental Outcomes, with associated targets, which encompass all of the main environmental challenges we will face in the coming decades and is the basis for a coherent and effective set of interventions that can deliver real improvements in the quality of all aspects of the environment.
• The  Programme for Government 2024–2027 ‘Our Plan: Doing What Matters Most’ demonstrates the Northern Ireland Executive’s commitment to environmental sustainability and health and wellbeing through the below mission and priorities:
  • Mission 2 – Planet: Harnessing the potential of a green growth economy, while ensuring we provide an equitable transition to a sustainable and affordable society as we take responsibility for decarbonising our economy and society.
  • Priority 1: Grow a Globally Competitive and Sustainable Economy.
  • Priority 8: Protecting Lough Neagh and the Environment (under which the commitment to delivering the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) 30by30 target is reinforced).
• The Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 recognises the important and interdependent relationship between nature and climate and sets the local framework for the achievement of Net Zero by 2050 through a series of five-yearly limits on emissions known as carbon budgets. It also has a specific requirement to set biodiversity targets. Each carbon budget must be delivered through a set of policies and proposals contained within a Climate Action Plan.
• The Lough Neagh Report focuses on measures to tackle the Blue Green Algae problem in Lough Neagh. The action plan contains 37 actions to mitigate the issues in the ecosystem and wider catchments. Many of these actions are aimed at reducing pollution from excess nutrients.
• The Third River Basin Management Plan for Northern Ireland sets out measures that will be taken to protect, improve and restore water quality.
• The Northern Ireland Peatland Strategy to 2040 has been developed to reflect and respond to the twin challenges of biodiversity loss and carbon emission reductions. It will play a significant role in Northern Ireland meeting commitments to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030.
• We will implement actions within the Northern Ireland Blue Carbon Action Plan 2025–2030 and the Marine Protected Areas Strategy for the Northern Ireland Inshore Region 2025–2030 that will contribute to the conservation, recovery and restoration of marine habitats. This may include the introduction of management measures where appropriate. We will also continue to apply the OSPAR Management Effectiveness of Protected and Conserved Areas (MEPCA) tool to quantify the effectiveness of management measures in all MPAs.

UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies

The British Virgin Islands

• Vision 2036: Building a Sustainable Virgin Islands sets out an overall vision to have a well-balanced, people-centred Virgin Islands built on spirituality, social justice and equality; nurtured by trust, cultural knowledge and participatory governance; and strengthened by economic, environmental and social sustainability. One of the national outcomes of this policy is environmental sustainability.
• The Virgin Islands Strategic Blue Economy Roadmap 2020–2025 was developed with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It sets out an integrated approach to ocean-based sustainable development which brings together economy, environment and society, consistent with the Sustainable Development Agenda (2030), Aichi Target 11 and the Paris Agreement (the roadmap was developed before the GBF was agreed and is therefore consistent with the Aichi Targets agreed under the CBD for 2011–2020).

The Falkland Islands

• The Falkland Islands Environment Strategy 2021–2040 sets out the Falkland Islands’ objectives for the next 20 years, so that we can work towards a shared vision for the future of our environment.
• The Islands Plan 2022–2026 Delivery Plan sets out how the Falkland Islands will deliver its objectives for the next 20 years, so that we can work towards a shared vision for the future of our environment.

Gibraltar

• The Gibraltar Nature Reserve Management Plan and Gibraltar Marine Reserve Management Plan, together with the relevant conservation objectives for protected areas in Gibraltar, recognise the importance of restoration and management activities to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem functions.
• The 25 Year Environment Plan sets out Gibraltar’s long-term strategy for protecting and enhancing its environment over the next quarter century. It provides a structured framework to guide policy, planning and environmental management.

The Isle of Man 

• The Isle of Man Agricultural Strategy 2024 builds on current food security, food business, landscape and natural wealth strategies. The principles laid out in this document represent the agreed objectives for agriculture, farmers and the environment. 
• Managing our Natural Wealth, The Isle of Man's First Biodiversity Strategy 2015–2025 sets out a vision for the future health of our biodiversity, and maps out the framework for action to conserve and enhance our natural richness for the health, enjoyment and economic well-being of all the people of Isle of Man.

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 

• The South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Terrestrial Protected Area Management Plan provides information on the South Sandwich Islands Terrestrial Protected Area and conservation objectives and activities taking place to protect this environment. 
• Enhanced MPA Measures came into force in April 2025, with an additional 166,000 km²  of ‘No Take Zones’ resulting in 449,000 km² of highly biodiverse marine habitat being closed to all fishing activity. A new MPA management plan will be published in early 2026.