California on track to conserve 30% of its land, but is lagging on coastal waters
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Set us as preferred After adding more than a million acres in the last year, California is on track to meet its goal of conserving 30% of its land by 2030, officials announced Tuesday.However, the state lags in its efforts to conserve 30% of its coastal waters in the same time frame.
Since Gov.Gavin Newsom established the “30x30” initiative in 2020, virtually all of increase in protected waters came from a single marine sanctuary created by the federal government in 2024.“While Donald Trump looks for ways to hand public lands to private developers and roll back the safeguards that protect our parks, wildlife, and coastal communities, California is doing the opposite,” Newsom said in a statement.
“We are conserving more land than ever before, protecting our iconic coastline from new offshore oil and gas drilling, revitalizing wildlife habitat, and ensuring every Californian can experience the natural treasures that make the Golden State extraordinary.”As of June, California had conserved 27.1% of its land and 21.9% of its coastal waters, officials said.Four years ago, when the state began tracking progress, it had about 23.8% of its land and 16.2% of its coastal waters under conservation.
Some of the recent gains came from re-categorizing conservation agreements that had already existed.“For us, it’s never been just an accounting exercise,” said California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot.“It’s helping all Californians and nature thrive together: How do we protect this globally renowned biodiversity, and how do we protect the natural systems that sustain us.”California is heavily reliant on the federal government to reach its conservation goals.
About 78% of the terrain now under conservation is federal land, including national parks and national forests.The state is responsible for about 10...