50/50 - The Plan to Save Life on Earth

This document presents a policy-focused briefing that advocates protecting half of the planet’s land and oceans to address accelerating biodiversity loss and climate risk. It grounds the proposal in evidence of severe ecosystem degradation and declining species populations, framing nature loss as a systemic threat to food, water, and human security. It incorporates findings from a scientific paper published in April 2019, which argues that embedding a fifty–fifty target in a Global Deal for Nature would strengthen habitat protection and restoration, guide national and regional conservation strategies, and support indigenous stewardship of sovereign lands. The paper identifies interim milestones, including protecting at least thirty percent of land by 2030 and restoring or sustainably managing an additional twenty percent in key climate stabilization areas, and emphasizes the role of clear, ambitious apex targets in mobilizing broad action.