A study maps critical areas for biodiversity and nature's contributions to people, revealing that conserving about 44% of global land area could provide 90% of current levels of ten nature's contributions to people (NCP) and meet minimum representation targets for 26,709 terrestrial vertebrate species. This supports commitments by national governments to conserve at least 30% of global lands and waters, and proposals to conserve half of the Earth. Over one-third of areas required for conserving NCP and species are also highly suitable for agriculture, renewable energy, oil and gas, mining, or urban expansion, indicating potential conflicts among conservation, climate, and development goals. The study highlights the need for coordinated planning to balance conservation, climate, and development goals. It identifies areas with high NCP and biodiversity, including regions in the Amazon, Congo basins, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and southeastern Australia. These areas are also highly suitable for development, raising concerns about future conflicts between conservation and development objectives. The study emphasizes the importance of integrating biodiversity, climate, and development goals. It shows that conserving 30% of global land area could provide 65% of current levels of NCP while meeting species representation targets. However, if the current system of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECM) are locked in, 45% of land area would be needed. The study also notes that areas not identified as priorities may contain valuable NCP and biodiversity not well represented in global data. The study provides maps of prioritized areas for NCP and biodiversity, highlighting the need for international cooperation to achieve global conservation targets. It underscores the importance of considering the many benefits that nature provides to humanity, including clean water, food security, and climate resilience. The study calls for more equitable distribution of land areas between countries and for future global negotiations to consider the multitude of nature's contributions to life, livelihoods, and cultures on Earth.A study maps critical areas for biodiversity and nature's contributions to people, revealing that conserving about 44% of global land area could provide 90% of current levels of ten nature's contributions to people (NCP) and meet minimum representation targets for 26,709 terrestrial vertebrate species. This supports commitments by national governments to conserve at least 30% of global lands and waters, and proposals to conserve half of the Earth. Over one-third of areas required for conserving NCP and species are also highly suitable for agriculture, renewable energy, oil and gas, mining, or urban expansion, indicating potential conflicts among conservation, climate, and development goals. The study highlights the need for coordinated planning to balance conservation, climate, and development goals. It identifies areas with high NCP and biodiversity, including regions in the Amazon, Congo basins, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and southeastern Australia. These areas are also highly suitable for development, raising concerns about future conflicts between conservation and development objectives. The study emphasizes the importance of integrating biodiversity, climate, and development goals. It shows that conserving 30% of global land area could provide 65% of current levels of NCP while meeting species representation targets. However, if the current system of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECM) are locked in, 45% of land area would be needed. The study also notes that areas not identified as priorities may contain valuable NCP and biodiversity not well represented in global data. The study provides maps of prioritized areas for NCP and biodiversity, highlighting the need for international cooperation to achieve global conservation targets. It underscores the importance of considering the many benefits that nature provides to humanity, including clean water, food security, and climate resilience. The study calls for more equitable distribution of land areas between countries and for future global negotiations to consider the multitude of nature's contributions to life, livelihoods, and cultures on Earth.