SDG #14 is to “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.”
Within SDG #14 are 10 targets, of which we here focus on Target 14.5:
By 2020, conserve at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law and based on the best available scientific information
Target 14.5 has one indicator:
Indicator 14.5.1: Coverage of protected areas in relation to marine areas
Among protected areas, there are six categories of protection. The top tier is 'strict nature reserves' and 'wilderness areas'. The bottom tier are protected areas able to use natural resources in a sustainable manner. The World Database on Protected Areas by Protected Planet collates all these protected areas. This includes other effective area-based conservation measures, which aren't protected areas, but are managed in ways providing similar conditions for conservation.
Key biodiversity areas are ecosystems which meet a criteria critical to prevent extinctions. Protected areas are at the forefront of conserving such environs.
The key international treaty relating to biodiversity is the Convention on Biological Diversity. A set of targets, known as the Aichi Targets, was set for the decade 2010-2020. Target 14.5 draws from Aichi Target #11 , the aim of which was to protect 10% of marine areas. The world met this aim, with 13% of marine areas protected by 2020. Among the world leaders was Palau and Monaco, which protected all their marine areas. Following were France and Kazakhstan, which protected half of their marine areas, the latter in the case of the inland Caspian Sea.
The percentage of protected marine key biodiversity areas as of 2022 was 45%, not much improved since 2015.
