Philanthropist Hansjörg Wyss Celebrates Historic 30x30 Commitment Made By Nations At UN Biodiversity Conference In Montreal

Nations have just finalized the most ambitious strategy to protect the planet’s biodiversity in recent history, ratifying a plan to safeguard at least 30 percent of the Earth’s surface, on land and at sea, by 2030 (30x30). This morning, policy-leaders at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) have agreed that wealthier countries will mobilize $30 billion USD annually to help implement the 30x30 target.

Today’s historic news comes more than four years after philanthropist and lifelong conservationist, Hansjörg Wyss, catalyzed a global campaign by launching the Wyss Campaign for Nature.

“By committing to protect at least 30 percent of the planet’s surface, world leaders are meeting the crisis facing biodiversity and boldly committing to safeguard nature,” said Hansjörg Wyss, founder and chairman of the Wyss Foundation. “This is an historic achievement that will protect wildlife and wild places and ensure our children, and their children, have every opportunity to live prosperous, healthy, and wondrous lives.”

In 2018, Hansjörg Wyss and the Wyss Foundation committed $1 billion USD to accelerate the pace and scale of conservation across the planet, jumpstarting the global 30x30 initiative. This pledge to nature was a response to the mounting evidence that the loss of biodiversity presents an existential threat to human prosperity and security. Under the status quo, a million species are facing the threat of extinction, many within decades, and a significant majority of the planet’s surface has been severely altered by humans.  

Since launching the Wyss Campaign for Nature, other private donors, nonprofit organizations, and governments have joined Hansjörg Wyss and the Wyss Campaign for Nature in supporting 30x30. The High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, a coalition of more than 100 nations, took up the 30x30 mantle and provided global leadership, at the highest levels of governments, to propel the biodiversity goal forward. Other donors also joined the call for 30x30, including members of the Protecting Our Planet Challenge, which Wyss joined upon its launch in 2021 by committing an additional $500 million USD to implement the 30x30 goal, bringing his total contribution to $1.5 billion USD.

With nations adopting the 30x30 goal at COP15, now the hard work of implementation begins.

“I am looking forward to working alongside government leaders, communities, and Indigenous Peoples, at every corner of the planet, to support locally-driven efforts to meet and exceed the global 30x30 goal,” continued Wyss.

Since 2018, Hansjörg Wyss has committed or disbursed nearly $775 million USD to support the work of local communities, nonprofit organizations, universities, and Indigenous People, permanently protecting more than 48 million acres (nearly 20 million hectares) of land and more than 1.7 million km2 of ocean. Hansjörg Wyss and the Wyss Foundation will continue supporting local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and nations in their efforts to protect critical lands and waters.

Details about community-driven, Indigenous People and Local Community-led conservation projects supported by Wyss are available at www.WyssCampaign.org/projects.