The great conservation tragedy? A critical reflection of (neo)protectionism in relation to the ‘30 × 30’ global biodiversity framework

The 2022 Global Biodiversity Framework aims to bring 30 per cent of the earth under protected areas (PAs) and ‘other effective area-based conservation measures’ by 2030 to halt the biodiversity crisis. The steady expansion of PAs since 1960 has not hindered the crisis from intensifying, however, while it has been achieved against strong scholarly and indigenous critiques. Why, then, do (neo)protectionist ideas remain so powerful in global conservation policy? This paper argues that an ignored element in critiques is (neo)protectionism's rootedness in biological fieldwork and the emotional-institutional power this carries in conservation circles. This further fuels an enduring ‘great conservation tragedy’.