HAC Official Launch Event at One Planet Summit

En Español

What is the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People?

The High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People is an intergovernmental group of more than 50 countries co-chaired by Costa Rica and France, and the United Kingdom as Ocean co-chair. The aim of the Coalition is to secure a global deal for nature and people that can halt the accelerating loss of species and protect the vital ecosystems that safeguard human health and economic security. 

How many governments have joined the HAC?

The HAC’s membership currently includes 50 governments across Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania and the Americas. And many other countries have expressed interest in joining. The members are: Angola, Armenia, Benin, Botswana, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ethiopia, European Commission, Finland, France, Gabon, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Japan, Kenya, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Mozambique, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Republic of Congo, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom.

What are the HAC’s specific goals?

The group is pushing for a global agreement to protect at least 30% of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030 at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, known as the “30x30 target”. Indigenous peoples and local communities are protectors of the most biodiverse sites in the world. To effectively and equitably meet this increased target, they should be engaged as partners in the design and management of these conserved areas, ensuring free, prior and informed consent and alignment with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The HAC for Nature and People has created a task force to address indigenous people and local communities' concerns and promote indigenous wisdom in the CBD negotiations. This task force has initiated a dialogue with the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity.  Other goals include promoting nature-based solutions within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and supporting the adoption of key elements of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework at COP15, in particular the effective management of protected and conserved areas, increased public and private financing to ensure their long-term management and local governance, and efficient implementation mechanisms to put nature on a path to recovery by 2030. 

What are the biodiversity and carbon benefits of the current commitments?

The 30% goal is a global target. HAC members have committed to ambitious contributions to 30x30. And it is exciting to see that the current HAC countries (as of 10 January 2021) together harbour 30% of global terrestrial biodiversity (using vertebrates as a proxy) and a quarter of the world’s terrestrial carbon stores (biomass and soil), and 28% of ocean biodiversity priority areas and over a third of the ocean carbon stores. These numbers will grow as more countries join the HAC for Nature and People. 

In addition, this target will contribute to the prevention of pandemics, as science recently showed that the ongoing and rapid loss of natural areas across the world poses a grave threat to the health and security of all living species.

What’s the history of the HAC for Nature and People?

In September 2019, at the 74th United Nations General Assembly, Costa Rica and a handful of other countries announced their intention to form a coalition for nature. The idea behind the HAC was officially introduced in the PreCOP25, held in Costa Rica in October 2019, by ministers from co-chairs Costa Rica and France and Ocean co-chair United Kingdom, along with Finland, Gabón and Grenada. In December 2019, Costa Rica and France hosted a pioneers meeting in Madrid at the UNFCCC COP25, where countries aligned on focus areas, structure and a roadmap and formally committed to the goals of the HAC for Nature and People. The HAC for Nature and People is officially launching with over 50 members at the One Planet Summit on 11 January 2021.  

What is the relationship with the Global Ocean Alliance?

The High Ambition Coalition (HAC) supports a global target to protect at least 30% of the land and at least 30% of the ocean by 2030. The Global Ocean Alliance (GOA) focuses on the global target to protect at least 30% of the ocean, in order to provide an important space to raise the profile of the ocean within the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

They are complementary alliances. The Chairs of the HAC, Costa Rica and France, are members of the Global Ocean Alliance, and the UK, chair of the GOA, is in turn, the Ocean Co-chair of the HAC. The alliances work together closely to ensure that both groups work in harmony to increase reach and reduce any duplication. Pushing in the same direction will increase the likelihood that a target for the protection of at least 30% of the land and the ocean will be adopted at CBD COP15.

Why 30 x 30?

Our future depends on preventing the collapse of the natural systems that provide our food, clean water, clean air and stable climate. In order to preserve these crucial services for our sustainable economies, we must protect enough of the natural world to sustain them. A growing body of scientific research has shown that half of the planet must be kept in a natural state in order to address the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. Experts agree that a scientifically credible and necessary interim goal is to achieve a minimum of 30% protection by 2030. 

Why now?

2021 is viewed as a decisive year on biodiversity action. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will hold its 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) in Kunming, China in 2021. Conference delegates will come together to adopt a “Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework,” which will outline what countries need to do in the next decade and beyond to set humanity on course for achieving the CBD’s overall vision of “living in harmony with nature” by 2050.  The goal of protecting at least 30% of the world’s land and ocean by 2030 is currently in the United Nations draft Framework. The HAC and GOA are building momentum to ensure that the goal remains in the final agreement. 

How much of the planet is already protected?

Currently, an estimated 15% of the world’s land and 7% of the ocean are protected. 

What are the economic benefits of protecting nature?

The benefits of protecting 30% of the planet outweigh the costs by a ratio of at least 5-to-1, according to the most comprehensive report to date on the economic implications of protecting nature. The report, which considered various scenarios of protecting at least 30% of the world’s land and ocean, offered new evidence that the nature conservation sector drives economic growth, delivers key non-monetary benefits and is a net contributor to a resilient global economy. Several additional reports have revealed additional benefits, including job creation. 

MORE INFORMATION: Please write to Susan Tonassi (stonassi@burness.com, +49 160 9327 9327 in Berlin) to sign up to receive the press release, videos and other assets to be available in advance of the launch and to receive information about how to view the launch and ministerial meeting. 

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