Global efforts to protect habitats and endangered species still need to accelerate, according to a new report from Map of Life, the flagship initiative of the Yale Center for Biodiversity and Global Change. The 2026 assessment says protected area networks expanded over the past year, but progress was uneven and many species remain poorly covered by conservation systems.
Key facts
- Map of Life’s 2026 report says protected area networks grew over the past year, but delivered only selective gains.
- The report says one in five terrestrial vertebrate species live in habitats very poorly represented in global protected areas.
- For species considered likely threatened, that figure rises to one in three.
- Among marine fish and mammals, one in 12 species are almost entirely unprotected by the existing marine protected area network.
- The release coincides with the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Yerevan, Armenia, on Oct. 19-30.
What does the report mean for conservation policy now?
The report’s practical message is that adding protected land and ocean area is not enough on its own. Researchers say new protections must be placed strategically to cover fragile habitats and improve outcomes for species that are still inadequately protected, especially those already considered threatened.
The index used in the report, the Species Protection Index, is a formally adopted indicator for Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims to protect 30% of the land and seas by 2030. That makes the report relevant to governments and conservation planners deciding where future protections should go.
- Land protection gains were described as limited, while ocean progress was somewhat more promising.
- Improvements were identified in land areas in Oman, French Polynesia and Uzbekistan.
- Marine conservation improvements were identified in French Polynesia, Sri Lanka and Denmark.
Why does the report say many species remain at risk?
The report says the main problem is not only how much land and sea is protected, but whether those areas overlap with the habitats species need most. Yale’s Walter Jetz said that almost half of assessed species remain highly insufficiently protected, with conservation gaps particularly large for already threatened species.
The report also notes that the Species Protection Index evaluates whether protected areas, as reported to the World Database on Protected and Conserved Areas, are delivering positive biodiversity outcomes. Yale’s Alex Killion said newly protected areas will only support biodiversity conservation if they are strategically placed to protect fragile habitats.
What did researchers assess in the 2026 report?
The report assessed the habitat protection status of about 34,000 terrestrial vertebrate species, 45,000 tree species and 13,000 marine fish and mammal species. It says protected area networks achieved some selective successes for terrestrial vertebrates and trees, but that land-based conservation still lacks significant progress overall.
The Yale center, created in 2012, monitors global species populations and provides conservation guidance. Map of Life, launched 16 years ago, reports on global biodiversity status and protection trends through the Species Protection Index.
How does this connect to global biodiversity targets?
The report is timed to the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Yerevan, where governments are discussing the UN Biodiversity Goals. The Species Protection Index is used as a formal indicator for the “30 by 30” target under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Jetz said science-driven tools like the indicators in the report can help guide outcomes as the world approaches the 2030 milestone. The report presents its findings as a check on whether protected area expansion is translating into real conservation gains for species and habitats.
