The big question about the Biden administrations proposal to preserve 30% of the nations land and waters by 2030 is what would count as conserved.
A common assumption as evidenced by four county commissions in Colorado passing resolutions opposing the proposal, even before its details were known is that meeting the 30% goal would require more wilderness designations.
But the administrations recently released report, Conserving and restoring America the Beautiful 2021, takes real pains to dispel notions of a euphemistic land grab.
Given the amount of misinformation that has been swirling around the 30x30 goal, its our hope that the report will allay some of the fears that led to anti-30x30 resolutions. Without knowing specifics, we concede that Bidens proposal had the potential to be misconstrued as some uber-liberal Green New Deal initiative.
Its an uneasy time for rural communities in western Colorado. Agitation is running high over wolf reintroduction, gubernatorial proclamations regarding meat consumption and a proposed ballot measure that could affect how livestock is raised in the state. Western Coloradans dont need more things put upon them and Bidens proposal aroused suspicion.
But the report is pretty soft and not overly prescriptive. It deals in recommendations, not specific policies or outcomes. The report lays out eight core principles. Among them is a commitment to collaboration, support for voluntary and locally led conservation efforts, and honoring of tribal sovereignty and private property rights. The emphasis on stakeholder engagement should ease concerns of a top-down approach bent on harming local communities.
The report acknowledges that there is no single metric including a percentage target that could fully measure progress toward the fulfillment of the 30x30 goals. It recommends that the federal government create an American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas that collects baseline information on the amount and types of lands and waters that are being managed for conservation and restoration purposes.
It also recommends an annual report on collaborations to preserve land and water. The first report, due at the end of 2021, should provide and an assessment of land-cover changes, including loss of open space; and a review of the condition of fish and wildlife habitats and populations.
This all sounds reasonable and opens the land management tool box to a variety of approaches. Communities can identify certain values ecological, economic or social and protect them through a planning process. Thats a far cry from the federal government forcibly designating wilderness areas.
Our Mesa County commissioners did not blindly pass the same anti-30x30 resolution as some other Western Slope counties and deserve credit for waiting on Thursdays report. If they eventually come out in opposition, it will at least be from an informed standpoint.
While there are certain to be proposals to establish new wilderness areas (or convert existing study areas to wilderness) in Western communities, the report makes clear that this isnt a wilderness initiative.
Its more about identifying pathways to things that most Americans think are important anyway conservation, outdoor recreation, equitable access to the outdoors and biodiversity. All of which have taken on greater importance against a backdrop of climate uncertainty.
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Biden's 30x30 initiative | Editorials | gjsentinel.com - The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
