Biodiversity loss will remain unabatedly high up to 2050, with a moderate economic growth and an increase of the world population from 6 to about 9 billon for whom the average per capita income will be three times the current value. This loss can be partly countered in the short term by extending the protected areas. This is the conclusion from an investigation carried out by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (MNP), in preparation of the the 8th Convention on Biological Diversity (COP8), currently taking place in Curitiba, Brasil.