The Conservation 30-by-30 Plan

The Conservation 30-by-30 Plan was put on the Democratic Wish List. It calls for the Protecting 30% of U.S. Lands and Waters from Development by the year 2030. It would Represent the Largest shift in Bio-Diversity Conservation Policy since the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973.

But the 30-by-30 idea isn't new, and it isn't Radical Eco-Extremeism run amok. It has been discussed for years by the Science-based Conservation Community and has been vetted in Peer-Reviwed Journals, including Science Advances, and detailed Reports from well-respected Nonprofits such as Defenders of Wildlife and the Center for American Progress. A Resolution in Support of this Goal has been introduced in Congress and in several State Legislatures, including South Carolina.

The 30-by-30 Plan is based on a huge and growing body of Scientific Evidence that says the World's Wildlife and Wild Places face Existential Threats, and that a Commitment to help Save these Places is good not only for the abstract Goal of Protecting the Environment but also because it matters for People, too, according to Lindsay Rosa, a Senior Conservation Scientist at Defenders of Wildlife's Center for Conservation Innovation, the most commonly cited Fiqures suggest that about 12% of U.S. Land and 26% of U.S. Waters are currently Protected, but there is a Lot of Land that is important for Biodiversity Conservation that is Not yet Protected but could be.

Experts also emphasized that it matters which 30% we Protect. Conserving a gGant, undeveloped Stretch of Land where little Lives and that No one wanted to Develope anyway is not especially helpful to Biodiversity Conservation or Climate Resilience. We need to Protect at least some of every Major Ecosystem, an Ecological concept called Representativity, as well as Habitats where Species of Concern actually Live.

When we are dealing with Migratory Species, for example, Corridor Conservation is critical to Safeguard their Migratory Routes and Not just their Destination. Not All Habitsts are Equally helpful in terms of Climate Resilience. Moreover, Human needs are Vital when determining which Habitats should be Off-Limits to Large-Scale Resource Extraction and Development. So whereas some Top-Down Coordination is necessary, Local Voices would have to have a say, especially on Lands inhabitied by Indigenous People. And because Unequal Access to Wild Spaces and the Mental and Physical Health Benifits they provide is a Major Environmental Justice issue, says Kate Kelly, Public Lands Director at the Center for American Progress. 30-by-30 is an Opportunity to hit the Reset Button on who Conservation is for and who Nature can Benefit.

Does such a Bold Plan have a chance of happening in our Hyperpolarized Government? It really might because Conserving Wildlife and Wild Places often has tremendous Bipartisan Support. In fact, 86% of Voters Somewhat or Strongly Support the Specific Goal of 30-by-30, including 76% of Republican Voters, according to a Poll conducted by the Center for American Progress. And Justin Kenney, Director of the 30x30 Ocean Alliance, that President George W. Bush Created what was at the time the Largest Marine Protected Area in the World.

30-by-30 represents the Last Best hope for Saving Many of the U.S.'s Iconic Species and Wild Places and is a Key Step in Fighting Climate Change and Restoring Ecological Justice. Both although such a Plan is Important, there is obviously No Guarantee that it will Happen.

We need continued U.S. Leadership to reach the Goal of 30-by-30.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker