RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Identifying key federal, state and private lands strategies for achieving 30x30 in the US
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2021.03.26.437234
DO 10.1101/2021.03.26.437234
A1 Lindsay M. Dreiss
A1 Jacob W. Malcom
YR 2021
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/05/14/2021.03.26.437234.abstract
AB Achieving ambitious conservation goals to conserve at least 30% of US lands and waters by 2030 (“30x30”) will require a multi-scale baseline understanding of current protections, key decision makers, and policy tools for moving forward. To help conservationists and decision makers support the science-based call to address the biodiversity and climate crises, we analyze the current spatial patterns of imperiled species biodiversity and carbon stores in the U.S. relative to protected areas. Analyses demonstrate that 30x30 is numerically achievable nationally, but high spatial heterogeneity highlights the need for tailored approaches from a mix of authorities at federal, regional, and state scales. Critically, current land protections rarely overlap with areas essential for conserving imperiled species biodiversity and mitigating climate change. Nearly one-fifth of unprotected biodiversity hotspots and carbon-rich areas are also at risk of either land conversion or climate exposure by 2050. We discuss this baseline relative to key policy considerations for making practical, substantive progress toward the goal.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.