More than 80 representatives of civil society, environmental organizations, and Indigenous Peoples from around the world have signed a joint letter calling on the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity to protect protected areas and areas under conservation status from extractive and large-scale industrial activities. The letter was announced today at a COP17 press conference by leaders of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (IUCN WCPA), the Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) Secretariat, the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities (GATC), Campaign for Nature, and Earth Insight.
The letter, entitled “Delivering 30x30: Protecting Protected and Conserved Areas from Extractive and Large-Scale Industrial Activities,” urges governments to measure success by the biodiversity conserved and rights protected, rather than simply by the number of hectares counted. The letter has been signed by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Rainforest Action Network, The Nature Conservancy, BirdLife International, the Rights and Resources Initiative, the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA), the Rainforest Foundations of the United States and the United Kingdom, Urgewald, SkyTruth, Climate Rights International, and many other organizations from Latin America, Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, and North America.
“30x30” Target: Not Just on Paper, but in Practice
“We, the undersigned civil society organizations from around the world, call on the Parties to the Convention at COP17 to fulfil their commitment to conserve at least 30 percent of terrestrial areas, inland waters, and marine areas by 2030—not just on paper, but in practice. Meeting the numerical target will mean little if the areas counted continue to be subjected to extractive and large-scale industrial activities that undermine biodiversity,” the statement reads.
The organizations emphasize that the territories of Indigenous Peoples and local communities are not merely hectares to be counted: their recognition must respect communities’ decisions, rights, and governance systems. At COP17, Parties must turn ambition into action: areas counted towards the “30x30” target must be protected from incompatible industrial activities.
The letter is being released as delegations gather in Yerevan for COP17, taking place from October 18 to 30, to assess progress towards the “30x30” target. At present, countries’ national commitments are sufficient to conserve only about 23 percent of the areas targeted.
The Risks of Extraction in Protected Areas: By the Numbers
The call is based on a recently published pan-tropical spatial analysis entitled “Delivering High-Integrity 30x30: Industrial Threats and Prospects for Effective, Rights-Based Biodiversity Conservation.” According to the study:
- In the tropical countries analyzed, approximately 62 million hectares of terrestrial protected and conserved areas overlap with oil and gas blocks (an area approximately 2.5 times the size of the United Kingdom).
- A further 43 million hectares overlap with areas allocated for mining.
- In the Amazon Basin, more than 40 percent of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) remain unprotected. This figure stands at 29 percent in the Congo Basin and more than 50 percent in Southeast Asia and Central America.
- More than 19 percent of terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas that are not under conservation management are threatened by oil and gas blocks, while 15 percent are threatened by mining permits.
What Are the Organizations Calling on COP17 Participants to Do?
The signatories call on the Parties to the Convention to:
- Eliminate incompatible industrial threats: apply standards that prevent extractive and large-scale industrial activities from harming protected areas, and review existing permits.
- Apply spatial planning: prevent threats before damage occurs by keeping incompatible industrial activities away from protected areas, Key Biodiversity Areas, intact ecosystems, and ecological corridors.
- Protect rights and governance: guarantee the land, territorial, and natural resource rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and respect their right to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC).
- Align licensing and economic decisions: ensure that policies on licensing, infrastructure, energy, agriculture, fiscal incentives, and financing do not support activities that harm protected areas.
- Provide means of implementation: ensure long-term funding, capacity-building, and direct, accessible support for priorities initiated by Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
Why Does This Call Matter for Armenia?
For Armenia, this call is important in terms of aligning protected area management, mining, and nature conservation policies. It highlights that the effectiveness of conservation areas should be assessed not only by their size, but also by the actual state of biodiversity, ecosystem integrity, and protection from industrial pressures.
The organizations’ key message is that international biodiversity conservation commitments must be translated into practical action, and protected areas must be safeguarded against industrial activities that conflict with their conservation objectives.
October 24, 2026 at 00:09