Our wish list for 2025—five conservation wins to watch for

 

Environment Update This year, we've seen some real conservation progress, but there's still a lot of work to be done.

Here are just five potential wins we'll be working toward next year. 1. Another Opportunity to Stop Plastic Pollution Photo Credit: Rich Carey/Shutterstock This year, nations didn't reach a final agreement to end plastic pollution, but momentum is building to strike a deal in 2025. To be successful, the treaty must reduce plastic production to sustainable levels and take ambitious actions across the life cycle of plastic, from production and use through recycling and disposal. 2. A Potential New U.S. Estuarine Reserve Photo Credit: Collette LaRue for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Next year, we hope to see a new National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) designation along the world's largest freshwater estuary, Wisconsin's Bay of Green Bay.  NERR status protects habitat and nurseries for fish and wildlife, supports coastal communities, and allows researchers to study the region to determine how to conserve it best. 3. More Indigenous-Led Conservation in Australia Photo Credit: Getty Images/Photodisc In 2024, Australia funded 12 new Indigenous Protected Areas that together will span a possible 20 million acres of land and sea—larger than Ireland. That's in addition to the country's existing 200 million acres of these protected areas—and it's a trend we expect to continue next year. 4. More U.S. Salt Marsh Protections Photo Credit: Richard Ellis/Alamy Stock Photo In 2023, the South Atlantic Salt Marsh Initiative released a plan to protect a million acres of salt marsh in the southeastern United States. We're excited to see how states put this plan into action in 2025. 5. A Possible Deal to Curb Funding That Drives Overfishing Photo Credit: Justin Lambert/Getty Images Governments pay an estimated $22 billion annually in harmful subsidies that drive overfishing and exploit fish populations beyond sustainable levels. Next year, that can all start to change. In 2025, world leaders could ratify and prepare to implement an agreement that will reduce subsidies that fund global overfishing. Thank you for reading Environment Update in 2024. Stay tuned for more on these stories and other conservation news in the new year. 👋  Until then, follow us on X, Facebook, and Instagram for updates.

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