A UN target to protect and restore 30 per cent of nature by 2030 will not be achieved in ocean environments until 2107 on current trends, an analysis by Greenpeace has found.

The international campaign group warned about the slow rate of progress in the report, published ahead of the opening of the UN Biodiversity Cop16 in Cali, Colombia, today.

Nations agreed the target to protect nature across land and seas at the last biodiversity Cop in Montreal in 2022.

The Global Ocean Treaty was then agreed in 2023 to enable nations to take action towards meeting commitments to protect marine environments within the wider nature target.

But Greenpeace found that less than 3 per cent of the world’s ocean has been fully protected from human activities.

This includes less than 1 per cent of the high seas — vast areas of the ocean beyond national jurisdictions.

In Britain, the report said only two of 386 marine protected areas (MPAs) are fully protected from all fishing activities.

Greenpeace UK head of oceans Elena Polisano said: “The parlous state of nature, at home and internationally, has never been more obvious.

“And yet far too often we’re stalling or moving backwards on the vital measures and targets we need to be hitting to turn the tide.”

Greenpeace UK has written to British ministers urging the government to take a leading role at the Cali biodiversity talks by pushing for ambitious action to put targets back on track.

A government spokesman said: “This government is committed to protecting and restoring our oceans to good health.

“We will deliver 30by30 on land and sea, ratify a new Global Oceans Treaty to protect marine life and enforce bottom trawling restrictions in our marine protected areas.”