69535 (2024). Celia Wade-Brown to the Minister of Conservation

69535 (2024). Celia Wade-Brown to the Minister of Conservation: What plan, if any, does the Minister plan on submitting on behalf of New Zealand to fulfil our country's commitment to protecting 30% of land and sea for nature area ahead of the COP16 global summit?

Hon Tama Potaka: The Department of Conservations advises me that the global target to protect 30% of terrestrial and inland water areas, and of marine and coastal areas, as part of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework is global in nature. It does not require New Zealand, or any one Party to the Convention on Biological Diversity, to protect 30% of its domestic land and marine environment. In advance of COP 16, New Zealand submitted its national targets to contribute to implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework. These are based on Te Mana o te Taiao – Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy 2020 (ANZBS), with some adjustment to reflect this Government’s priorities. The targets cover the sustainable management of natural resources, nature-based solutions to climate change, the protection and restoration of ecosystems and species, and empowering iwi, hapū and whānau to exercise rangatiratanga and kaitiakitanga.