The largest-ever private funding commitment to biodiversity conservation.

“The Protecting Our Planet Challenge is helping to ensure the world protects at least 30 percent of nature — both land and sea — by 2030. This is not just a goal about numbers — but a goal to ensure our planet forever remains a sustainable home for both people and wildlife.”

- Cristián Samper // Managing Director and Leader for Nature Solutions, Bezos Earth Fund

Studies show that protected areas are one of the most cost-effective ways to safeguard nature, vulnerable human populations, and climate, provided they are well-managed and respect the rights and needs of Indigenous peoples and local communities. 

Research findings indicate that the conservation and effective management and guardianship of at least 30% of the planet in the most important places for biodiversity could protect up to 80% of plant and animal species, and secure 60% of the planet’s carbon stocks and 66% of the planet’s clean water.

"At Bloomberg Philanthropies, our mission is to help people around the world live better, longer lives – and protecting the ocean and marine ecosystems is a critical part of that work. Through the Protecting Our Planet Challenge, we’re helping more of our partners take action that will safeguard biodiversity, which sustains the lives and livelihoods of billions of people.”

– Patricia E. Harris // CEO, Bloomberg Philanthropies

The Commitment

A $5 billion pledge to protect and conserve the wild on Earth.
Eleven organizations. Ten years.


The Plan

The Protecting our Planet (POP) challenge is the largest-ever private funding commitment to biodiversity conservation. It is designed to raise global and national ambition, support projects around the globe that will help achieve 30 by 30 — the initiative to protect the 30% of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems most important for biodiversity by 2030.

The POP challenge is not a new fund. Projects are supported by POP partner organizations and include the creation, expansion, management and monitoring of protected and conserved areas of land, inland waterways, and the ocean. POP prioritizes work with Indigenous peoples and local communities, as well as local and federal governments. 

“This commitment to investing long-term in the explansion and management of marine-protected areas is about much more than ocean waters. It’s about the people who depend on those oceans.”

- Aileen Lee // Chief of Programs, Moore Foundation 

We work together to support projects by building collective efforts behind a more equitable, carbon neutral and nature-positive future. Meeting this goal will require greater ambition, innovation and collaboration among governments, companies, and civil society to secure the mosaic of areas necessary for success. Yet this will only be possible if we also uphold the power and advance the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities as guardians of the irreplaceable places upon which we all depend.

Meeting this goal will require:

  • Greater ambition, innovation and collaboration between governments, companies, civil society, Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

  • Using knowledge to identify the most important areas that need to be protected and conserved.

  • Strengthening the capacity to manage and monitor the effectiveness of protected and conserved areas.

  • Advancing the enduring power and the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities as guardians of irreplaceable places upon which we all depend.

30 by 30

The initiative to protect and preserve 30% of terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems most important for biodiversity by 2030.

“For our granchildren and their grandchildren to inherit a balanced, functioning planet, we have to rapidly slow the rate at which our economies are destroying nature. This challenge is why I continue to work alongside local communities, Indigenous peoples, and nations to quickly narrow the enormous gap between how little of the natural world is protected and how much needs to be protected.”

- Hansjörg Wyss // Founder & Chairman, Wyss Foundation

For more information about funding priorities and projects, please contact the POP partner organizations. ↓

Partners



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