New research challenges the progress made by the global "30x30" conservation campaign, which aims to protect 30 percent of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030. Earlier this year, conservationists celebrated the designation of 10 percent of the world’s oceans as marine protected areas (MPAs), a step toward this goal. However, a recent study published in the journal PNAS suggests that the 10 percent figure is misleading, as it does not reflect the actual impact of these protected zones on marine ecosystems. The study found that only about 2 percent of the world’s oceans are under MPAs that are making a meaningful difference in preserving marine life. This is largely due to poor enforcement of fishing restrictions, which undermines the effectiveness of these conservation areas. The researchers argue that the current focus on the size of protected areas—measured in square kilometers—may not be the best way to assess their success. Instead, they suggest looking at factors such as the level of protection, the degree of compliance with regulations, and the age of the MPA. Ella Clausius, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Tasmania and lead author of the study, explained that the 30x30 initiative was developed in the early 2000s with the goal of creating a network of MPAs, but without a specific target for coverage. The 10 percent goal was later set for 2020, and when it was not met, the 30x30 campaign was introduced as part of the Global Biodiversity Framework. While area-based targets are easy to measure and communicate, critics argue that they can lead to the creation of MPAs in remote areas with little biodiversity or to "paper parks" that lack real conservation efforts. To assess the effectiveness of MPAs, Clausius and her team used observational data from shallow reefs to model the impact of hundreds of protected areas on marine life. They found that only about 20 percent of the current MPA coverage is ecologically effective, meaning it contributes to a significant increase in fish biomass. This is partly because many MPAs do not provide full protection from fishing, and others suffer from poor management and widespread rule violations. Experts have proposed alternative metrics for evaluating MPA success, such as the level of protection from fishing and the "stage of establishment," which considers whether an MPA is proposed, planned, or actively managed. Others suggest frameworks like NEOLI, which emphasizes characteristics such as "no-take" zones, enforcement, age, size, and isolation. While some defend the 30x30 goal as a politically useful target that has boosted global conservation efforts, others argue that improving the effectiveness of existing MPAs and managing the ocean more broadly may be more important than simply increasing their size.