Four years after unveiling an ambitious plan to preserve 30% of California’s land and coastal waters by 2030, state officials announced Monday that they are getting closer to that goal.
Since the beginning of the so-called 30×30 InitiativeCalifornia has added nearly 1.5 million acres — or roughly 2,350 square miles — of protected lands, according to progress reports from Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Natural Resources Agency.
Overall, the report shows that California has so far protected 25.2% of its land and 16.2% of its coastal waters, with just over five years left until the deadline.
“In 2020, I signed a contract executive Order “It is our goal to protect 30% of California’s land and 30% of its coastal waters by 2030,” Newsom said in a statement. “And four years into this effort, we’re on track to achieve this goal, with more than a quarter of our lands protected. We won’t stop working to safeguard California’s unparalleled natural beauty for generations to come.”
The stated goals of the 30×30 initiative extend far beyond conservation. The plan also aims to restore biodiversity, expand access to nature, and help mitigate and build resilience to climate change.
This initiative will be launched in earnest in 2022 When officials released a detailed road map The state added 631,000 acres between April of that year and May 2023, and has added an additional 861,000 acres since then, according to the report.
“It’s great that we’ve crossed the 25% threshold, and we still have more work to do,” said California Secretary of Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot. “We’re really excited by the progress, and we’re excited that there are so many organizations that are partnering with us to really go out there and preserve places — whether it’s land trusts or tribes or local governments. We’re on the right track, and it’s going to require us to keep the momentum going, but this year is a really big step forward.”
This year’s increase in acreage includes areas that were recently protected through ancestral land returns, land acquisitions, new conservation easements and other means, the report said.
This increase also includes acres that were found to meet the 30×30 definition, whereas previously there was a lack of sufficient data to consider their level of protection and management for biodiversity.
The biggest recent gains include the expansion of two national monuments – San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and this Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument — which increased protections for nearly 120,000 acres of federal land.
California has also made progress toward this goal in its first attempt. Attempts to return ancestral landsWhich awarded $100 million in grants to return approximately 38,950 acres of land to indigenous communities. Recipients included the Hoopa Valley Tribe, which received funding to help reclaim approximately 10,300 acres of its land. Lands of the Klamath River Watershed Which was previously being managed by a timber trust.
Newsom said in a statement at the time that the grant award was an “acknowledgement of past sins, a promise of accountability, and a commitment to a better future.”
In addition, the state’s effort will convert more than half of its 100 million acres Multi-benefit landscapes capable of absorbing carbon and combating climate change will help reach the 30×30 goals, officials said. Those goals, known as nature-based solutions, include millions of acres of land that would be managed to reduce wildfire risk, protect water supplies and enhance biodiversity, among other outcomes.
California’s plan has paved the way for similar efforts nationally, and states like Nevada, South Carolina, Hawaii, Maine, and New York are now working toward their own 30×30 goals.
But Crowfoot said California has created the world’s strongest definition for protected areas under 30×30, which includes lands and waters that are protected permanently and primarily for ecological benefit.
“I’m really proud that California has established not only the strongest definition of 30×30, but also the most detailed road map for actually achieving it,” he said. “(The lands) may have other benefits, such as public access, but they should be protected primarily for the environmental benefits.”
In 2021, President Biden also unveiled a national version of the 30×30 plan, known as America the Beautiful InitiativeWhat has already been seen Over 41 million acres According to the White House, the incident is still being monitored.
But California’s program also faces headwinds from the state’s tight budget, including some cuts to the program this year as Newsom has worked to wind it down. Reducing the deficit by $45 billionThe budget retained $1.3 billion of the $1.6 billion previously allocated for 30×30.
Crowfoot said $1.3 billion is still a huge investment in conservation, and the program is also getting a boost from federal funding through the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as growing philanthropic interest, particularly in ancestral lands return efforts.
Although the initiative is getting closer to its goal, the state still needs to protect an additional 4.8 million acres of land and 500,000 acres of coastal waters to meet its commitment, the report said.
Crowfoot said that there are many plans and projects underway that can help achieve this goal. One of these proposals is that Designate Chuckwalla National Monument In the eastern Coachella Valley, that would span nearly 650,000 acres, including an expansion of Joshua Tree National Park by more than 17,000 acres.
And although coastal water benefits have been difficult to achieve so far, the proposed Chumash National Marine Sanctuary Located on California’s Central Coast, 30×30’s profits could potentially increase if its management plans are found to be compliant with the program’s requirements.
“I’m very confident we can get there, but it’s going to depend on growing this movement,” Crowfoot said of the 2030 goal. “This is a global movement that we’re leading in California.”
