CEENRG Thursday seminars: 'Governance beyond 30×30: Area-based protectionand food systems'

Speaker: Dr Aiora Zabala (Assistant Professor in Climate, Environmental and Urban Policy, Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge)

The Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy, and Natural Resource Governance (C-EENRG) is hosting a seminar series throughout the 2025-26 academic year.

The 30×30 target of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework has renewed momentum for area-based protection. Based on two recent research projects, I examine governance challenges of moving towards—and beyond—this goal. First, a new framework at four scales provides a structure to assess issues countries face when approaching extensive protection, illustrated with evidence from Spain (a highly biodiverse with ~30% terrestrial protection). Second, I present preliminary global evidence on biodiversity leakage via food systems. An analysis of country-level panel data since 1961 from Protected Planet and FAOSTAT helps alleviate concerns about a general trade-off between area-based conservation and international biodiversity leakage. However, exploratory results suggest conditions under which leakage risks increase. Together, these studies highlight governance strategies to support conservation in the context of protected area expansion.

Seminars take place as hybrid meetings (in person seminars in the DAB - David Attenborough Building + online in Zoom) every Thursday (please check precise time as may vary) during the term. Please register online to receive the Zoom link on the day of the seminar. Everyone is welcome!