Although our preliminary estimates must be refined as data improve, they nevertheless illustrate that protection of 17% of land will almost certainly be insufficient to halt loss of biodiversity and essential ecosystem services even if the most important areas are protected. The CBD target of at least 17% protected area coverage by 2020 should be seen as an incremental target towards a higher long-term global target, perhaps up to 50% or more given the variety and importance of ecosystem services to societies worldwide. However, although protected areas are an essential tool they are not the only means to halt biodiversity loss and secure ecosystem services. Given the increasing pressure from many competing land uses (e.g. agricultural expansion) it may be politically infeasible to dedicate a much higher proportion of land for nature. Human population growth and rising consumption are increasing the pressure to convert intact ecosystems into other forms of land use. Projections for 2050 are that the global human population will increase beyond 9 billion, world GDP will quadruple, and the global need for energy and water will increase by 80 and 55%, respectively (OECD, 2012). Unless efforts are made to protect a higher proportion of natural ecosystems from conversion and degradation in the most important places, nature’s ability to support biodiversity and sustain human well-being will be compromised to the detriment of all species. To prevent us from transgressing important planetary boundaries we need global targets based on scientific understanding of how existing natural ecosystems support biodiversity and sustain the delivery of critical ecosystem services