WASHINGTON, DC – A comprehensive global assessment on the state of nature will be released next Monday by the United Nations Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), a sibling organization of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The assessment is expected to paint a grim portrait of the state of nature, warning of “an imminent rapid acceleration” in wildlife extinction rates, which are already tens to hundreds of times higher than the baseline set over the last 10 million years.  

According to the news reports, the study shows that 75 percent of the planet’s land area, 40 percent of its ocean, and half of its inland waters have been “severely altered” by humans. The impacts can be felt by nearly every human on the planet as they affect the more than three-quarters of global food crops that rely on animal pollination. Loss of habitat is the leading cause of the decline in wildlife. 

A growing coalition of scientists, philanthropists and nongovernmental organizations is calling on nations to commit to protecting at least 30 percent of the planet’s lands and waters by 2030 when they meet in China next year to set global biodiversity policy for the coming decade. Nearly 100 groups around the world have endorsed that goal, and 19 of the world’s leading scientists have published a study in Science Advances to make a data-driven, science-backed case for protecting more of the planet.

In anticipation of the forthcoming report, the Campaign for Nature has issued the following statements:

Brian O’Donnell, Director, Campaign for Nature

“The international community has both the time and the tools to safeguard nature and slow the ongoing wildlife extinction crisis. The science has made the path forward clear. In order to preserve life on Earth and support the billions of people whose livelihoods depend on functioning natural areas, nations must secure a global deal for nature that protects far more of the planet, engages and supports indigenous communities, and increases financing to better manage important land and marine habitats."

Jonathan Baillie, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientist, National Geographic Society

“If we care about other forms of life, if we care about the future of our children, if we care about a secure environment or achieving development targets, then there is only one path when it comes to the natural world: We need to secure what is left. We need to secure half of the planet by 2050 with an interim target of 30 percent by 2030. To achieve these goals, we must restore nature and drive innovation. Only then will we leave future generations a healthy and sustainable planet.”

Learn more about the Campaign for Nature and the effort to protect at least 30 percent of the planet by 2030 at www.CampaignForNature.org.