Who gains from saving nature
Ledger 1 : 33 — For each dollar financing nature-based solutions in 2023, about $33 financed activities harmful to nature. (UNEP)
Cases / Protected area / relocation · Global · 2016–2026

Half-Earth and 30x30 advocacy funding (Wyss Campaign for Nature)

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured. Disputed
Not on record
  • The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
What the record lacks: 4 none on record · 1 not disclosed · 4 insufficient · 1 not measured · 3 disputed · 2 unclear See the gaps
Accounts of the harm differ
Is the 30% target backed by science?
  • Communities and civil society Rainforest Foundation UK, Survival International, Minority Rights Group: Wrote to delegates in June 2022 that the 30x30 conservation pledge was not backed by science. Rainforest Foundation UK
  • Researchers Waldron et al. (report prepared for Campaign for Nature): Estimated that 30x30 would cost about US$140 billion a year and that benefits would exceed costs by at least five to one.
  • Standard-setters and registries WRI: Welcomed the agreement and noted that no robust monitoring system had been set up. World Resources Institute
Does counting protected area measure protection?
  • International bodies UNEP and IUCN (Protected Planet Report 2024): Reported 17.6% of land and 8.4% of ocean protected, with management effectiveness assessed for under 5% of land and 1.3% of ocean.
  • Researchers Aminian-Biquet et al. (One Earth, 2024): MPAs cover 11.4% of EU waters but only 0.2% are fully or highly protected, and 86% of MPA area has low protection or allows industrial activities. DOAJ
  • Company or project Campaign for Nature: Described the September 2026 meeting as governments uniting "to accelerate delivery of 30x30" (page title). Campaign for Nature

A Swiss philanthropist pledged US$1 billion, later US$1.5 billion, to a campaign for protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030. The target was adopted in 2022; reports on the coverage reached so far and on what the protected areas protect are partial.

US$1.5 billionWyss pledge for the 30x30 campaign
Pledge, listed as US$1 billion at the 2018 launch and US$1.5 billion later; the sources reviewed do not give the amount spent.

Status As of October 2026: the 30x30 target is in force in the Kunming-Montreal Framework; reported coverage is 18.69% of land and 10.04% of ocean; no source reviewed reports the effect of Wyss-funded work on nature.

What?
A philanthropic pledge of US$1 billion, later listed as US$1.5 billion, to a campaign promoting protection of 30% of land and sea by 2030, together with the target's adoption in the Kunming-Montreal Framework and the scientific and rights-based criticism of it. Wyss Campaign for Nature
Where?
Global; the framework was adopted in Montreal, Canada, and the funder is based in Switzerland. The Wyss-funded protected-area commitments named in the record are in Africa. World Resources Institute
When?
Campaign launched October 2018; framework adopted 19 December 2022; latest commitments September 2026. World Resources Institute
Who?
Gained
  • African Parks — Recipient of Wyss Foundation commitments of US$65 million and up to US$108 million (2021) African Parks
Lost
None on record
Harmed
None on record
Why?
The campaign's stated aim was adoption of the 30x30 target and funding of projects to deliver it; the sources reviewed give no fuller statement of motive.
How?
Through grants to conservation groups, advocacy support to governments in the biodiversity negotiations, and commitments to protected-area operators and a long-term fund. Campaign for Nature
In proportion A report prepared for Campaign for Nature estimated benefits at least five times costs for 30x30 (about US$140 billion a year needed, about US$24 billion spent in 2020).
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

In October 2018 the Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss, through the Wyss Foundation, launched the Wyss Campaign for Nature, a ten-year, US$1 billion campaign. The pledge was later listed at US$1.5 billion. The campaign's advocacy arm, Campaign for Nature, gave technical support to the High Ambition Coalition of 122 countries during the Kunming-Montreal biodiversity negotiations and formed a formal partnership with the coalition in 2023.

In December 2022 the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was adopted in Montreal. Target 3, known as 30x30, calls for at least 30% of land and sea to be effectively conserved and managed by 2030. The World Resources Institute (WRI) noted that no robust monitoring system had been set up.

A cost-benefit report prepared for Campaign for Nature (Waldron et al., July 2020) estimated that 30x30 would cost about US$140 billion a year, against about US$24 billion then being spent, and that benefits would exceed costs by at least five to one. One of its co-authors, Enric Sala, is a National Geographic explorer-in-residence.

Researchers and civil-society groups disputed parts of the agenda. Büscher, Fletcher and co-authors wrote in 2016 and 2017 that Half-Earth style proposals would harm people and not meet conservation goals. Schleicher and colleagues (Nature Sustainability, November 2019) calculated that at least one billion people live in the areas a Half-Earth scheme would protect, and described this as a lower bound. In June 2022 Rainforest Foundation UK, Survival International and Minority Rights Group wrote to delegates that the 30% target was not backed by science. In April 2021 Survival International said 300 million people would lose their land; in May 2021 it corrected "most are indigenous" to "many are indigenous". The 300 million figure is the organisation's own estimate.

On coverage, the Protected Planet Report 2024 (UNEP and IUCN) put protected land at 17.6% and ocean at 8.4%, with growth below 0.5 percentage points on each since 2020. Management effectiveness had been assessed for under 5% of land and 1.3% of the ocean, and equitable governance for 0.2% of land. In October 2026 the figures were given as 18.69% of land and 10.04% of the ocean. Wyss money also reached individual protected-area operators: the Wyss Foundation committed US$108 million to African Parks in 2021, and in September 2026 Germany and the Wyss and Walton foundations each committed US$100 million to the Legacy Landscapes Fund for ten protected areas in Africa.

  1. 2016Büscher and Fletcher publish a critique of Half-Earth in Aeon (March)
  2. 2018Wyss Foundation launches the US$1 billion Wyss Campaign for Nature (October)
  3. 2019Schleicher et al. calculate that at least one billion people live in areas a Half-Earth scheme would protect (November)
  4. 2020Waldron report prepared for Campaign for Nature: about US$140 billion a year needed; benefits at least five times costs (July)
  5. 2021Survival International publishes the "300 million" claim (April) and corrects wording (May); IDS finds no Indigenous account among the 100 most-reached 30x30 posts (June); Wyss Foundation commits up to US$108 million to African Parks
  6. 2022Kunming-Montreal Framework adopted with the 30x30 target (19 December); Rainforest Foundation UK, Survival and Minority Rights Group write to delegates (June)
  7. 2023Campaign for Nature forms a formal partnership with the High Ambition Coalition
  8. 2024Protected Planet Report: 17.6% of land and 8.4% of ocean protected (October)
  9. 2026Germany, Wyss and Walton foundations commit US$100 million each to the Legacy Landscapes Fund (September); coverage reported at 18.69% of land and 10.04% of ocean (October)

What was said

Claims, in the words of those who made them.

“We are deeply grateful to a core group of funders who provide largely flexible, multi-year funding at significant levels.”

African Parks, strategic partners page · undated · African Parks

“two landmark commitments to African Parks ($65 million in 2016 and $108 million in 2021)”

African Parks, biography page for Hansjörg Wyss · undated · African Parks

Where accounts differ

Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.

Is the 30% target backed by science?
Communities and civil society
Rainforest Foundation UK, Survival International, Minority Rights Group

Wrote to delegates in June 2022 that the 30x30 conservation pledge was not backed by science.

Rainforest Foundation UK
Researchers
Waldron et al. (report prepared for Campaign for Nature)

Estimated that 30x30 would cost about US$140 billion a year and that benefits would exceed costs by at least five to one.

Standard-setters and registries
WRI

Welcomed the agreement and noted that no robust monitoring system had been set up.

World Resources Institute
Does counting protected area measure protection?
International bodies
UNEP and IUCN (Protected Planet Report 2024)

Reported 17.6% of land and 8.4% of ocean protected, with management effectiveness assessed for under 5% of land and 1.3% of ocean.

Researchers
Aminian-Biquet et al. (One Earth, 2024)

MPAs cover 11.4% of EU waters but only 0.2% are fully or highly protected, and 86% of MPA area has low protection or allows industrial activities.

DOAJ
Company or project
Campaign for Nature

Described the September 2026 meeting as governments uniting "to accelerate delivery of 30x30" (page title).

Campaign for Nature
How many people live in the areas a Half-Earth or 30x30 scheme would protect, and who bears the cost?
Researchers
Schleicher et al. (Nature Sustainability, 2019)

Calculated that at least one billion people would live in areas protected under a Half-Earth scheme at ecoregion level (about 247 million already in protected areas, 760 million in areas not yet protected), and called it a lower bound.

Communities and civil society
Survival International

Said in April 2021 that 300 million people would lose their land; corrected "most are indigenous" to "many are indigenous" in May 2021. The figure is the organisation's own estimate.

Company or project
Wyss Foundation / Campaign for Nature

No public response to this point appears in the sources reviewed.

How it looked

What was shown, beside what was recorded.

Shown

  • A ten-year, US$1 billion campaign to protect nature, launched by the Wyss Foundation
    Wyss Campaign for Nature (October 2018 announcement) · Wyss Campaign for Nature
  • "Heads of state and ministers unite to accelerate delivery of 30x30"
    Campaign for Nature (page title, 24 September 2026) · Campaign for Nature
  • 30x30 as a target for the world to reach by 2030
    WRI statement on the Kunming-Montreal agreement (19 December 2022) · World Resources Institute

Recorded

  • Land protected: 17.6% (2024), 18.69% (October 2026). Ocean protected: 8.4% (2024), 10.04% (October 2026).
  • Management effectiveness assessed for under 5% of land and 1.3% of the ocean (2024); equitable governance assessed for 0.2% of land.
  • WRI noted that no robust monitoring system had been set up for the framework.
    World Resources Institute
  • The Federal Election Commission found no evidence of abuse in Wyss-linked political giving in 2022, criticised the groups for not providing evidence of restrictive grant agreements, and took no action on US$119,000 in direct donations because of the statute of limitations.
    Fortune / Bloomberg
  • The 100 most-reached social media posts on 30x30 included none from Indigenous accounts (IDS, June 2021).
    Institute of Development Studies (IDS)

Who gained

Money that reached nature, beside money that stayed elsewhere.

Reached nature or the ground

Not published
No figure published.

Gained elsewhere

Not totalled
Currency: USD · Window: 2018–2026. All figures cover the same period. * Estimate built from cited figures.

Responses on record

  • wri (2022-12-19): Noted that no robust monitoring system had been set up for the framework (19 December 2022). · World Resources Institute
  • fec (2022): Found no evidence of abuse in Wyss-linked political giving; criticised the absence of evidence of restrictive grant agreements. · Fortune / Bloomberg

In court and with insurers

Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

Lawsuits and rulings

  1. 2022Outcome not on record
    Federal Election Commission review of Wyss-linked political giving
    Federal Election Commission · Regulatory · Not named in the sources reviewed → Hansjörg Wyss and Wyss-linked groups

    In 2022 the Commission found no evidence of abuse, but criticised the groups for not providing evidence of a restrictive grant agreement. It also identified US$119,000 in direct political donations by Mr Wyss over 16 years and took no action on them because of the statute of limitations. Fortune / Bloomberg

Insurers

No insurer decision on record.

What nature saw

Outcomes measured on the ground, and nature's note.

Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.

Protected land (UNEP-IUCN)
17.6%
2024; 18.69% reported in October 2026
Protected ocean (UNEP-IUCN)
8.4%
2024; 10.04% reported in October 2026
Land with management effectiveness assessed
under 5%
2024; ocean 1.3%; equitable governance 0.2% of land
EU waters: MPAs fully or highly protected
0.2%
Aminian-Biquet et al., One Earth 2024: MPAs cover 11.4% of EU waters; 86% of MPA area has low protection or allows industrial activities

What we don't know

Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
No court caseNo independent ecological evaluationKey earnings undisclosed

Nature

  • Not measured Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.
  • Disputed Is the 30% target backed by science?
  • Disputed Does counting protected area measure protection?

Court

  • Unclear Federal Election Commission review of Wyss-linked political giving: outcome not on record.

Accounts

  • Disputed How many people live in the areas a Half-Earth or 30x30 scheme would protect, and who bears the cost?
  • None on record Wyss Foundation / Campaign for Nature: No public response to this point appears in the sources reviewed.

Record

  • None on record How much of the pledged US$1.5 billion has been spent, and on what: the sources reviewed do not give a full breakdown of grants.
  • Unclear Whether the Wyss Foundation funded the Waldron report: the sources record only that it was prepared for Campaign for Nature.
  • Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: that more than US$1 billion of the pledge had been distributed as grants by 2021.
  • Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: that Campaign for Nature's first partners were The Nature Conservancy and National Geographic.
  • Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: that Dinerstein told Vox in 2021 that there was no scientific basis for 30%, calling it arbitrary; the statement could not be confirmed on Vox's own page.
  • Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: that Dinerstein's team argued the Schleicher et al. calculation contained errors in assumptions and data.
  • None on record The year of the Wyss Foundation's US$65 million commitment to African Parks is given as 2016 on one African Parks page and 2017 in another source.
  • Not disclosed The protected areas and their managers under the September 2026 Legacy Landscapes Fund commitment were not disclosed.
  • None on record Which Wyss-funded projects, if any, have been assessed for their effect on the species and habitats they cover: no such assessment appears in the sources reviewed.

Did the harm stop?

Not applicable: the record covers funding and advocacy for a conservation target, and no source states a harm to nature that was stopped.

Who paid?

The sources reviewed do not identify a party that bore a cost from the campaign itself. Researchers and civil-society groups state that people living in or near areas to be protected could bear costs if protected areas are expanded without changing how they are managed.

Sources

Voices on record: ✓ Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations✓ Communities and civil society✓ Researchers

Company or project

  1. Wyss Foundation launches $1 billion campaign
    Wyss Campaign for Nature · 2018-10-25
  2. Wyss Campaign for Nature: projects
    Wyss Campaign for Nature ·
  4. African Parks annual report 2025
    African Parks · 2026-06
  5. Strategic partners
    African Parks ·
  6. Mr Hansjörg Wyss
    African Parks ·

Press and investigations

Communities and civil society

Researchers

  1. We need to talk about 30x30
    Institute of Development Studies (IDS) · 2021-06-08

Connected cases

Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
Terms used on this page

Institutions

IUCN Red List
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and its global list assessing species' risk of extinction.

Law and courts

Statute of limitations, time-barred
The legal time limit for bringing or completing a case. A time-barred case can no longer lead to a penalty, even if guilt was found.

Places and local terms

Conservancy (Kenya)
In Kenya, land managed by a community or private owners for wildlife alongside grazing, often with outside partners.
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