Every October 18, World Nature Protection Day is commemorated, an event established in 1972 with the purpose of raising awareness of its importance and promoting global action to preserve species and natural spaces and ensure a more sustainable future.

This date has an impact on promoting practices and policies that allow sustainable development and the use of natural resources without compromising the future of nature. Thus, this day contributes to making visible Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as climate action, terrestrial and marine biodiversity.

So far, it is estimated that human action has altered 75% of terrestrial ecosystems and 66% of marine ecosystems. To curb this situation, a total of 196 countries committed in 2022 in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to the conservation of at least 30% of terrestrial and marine areas and the restoration of 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030.

Spain is among the countries with the most areas under protection. Currently, it has more than 22.4% of its marine area protected. This percentage has recently increased thanks to the approval of six new spaces, totalling almost 1.7 million hectares. The identification of these places has its origin in an important scientific work of marine research, carried out in the LIFE INTEMARES project, coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation.

On land, our country has more than 30% of its surface under some form of protection. In addition, it is the country with the most Biosphere Reserves, the second in geoparks and the third with the most Wetlands of International Importance. Its 16 National Parks, which occupy an area of almost half a million hectares, are home to unique species and ecosystems of great value.

Since its inception, the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge has been working to promote a change in the socio-economic model that takes into account the services provided by nature and the importance of preserving them. To this end, it promotes actions in several areas at the same time, to conserve healthy ecosystems, restore degraded ecosystems, promote a sustainable use of biodiversity and stop the causes of its deterioration.