What is the 30
x 30 Land Plan
Jerry G. Schickedanlz
The concept to protect 30 percent of
the world’s land and water by 2030 is a product of the Paris Climate agreement
of 2015 and “The Global Deal for Nature: Guiding principles, milestones andtargets,” which advocates the best way to fight climate change is to protect
natural areas. It has an ultimate goal
to protect 50 percent by 2050 to reduce the impact of climate change on
bio-diversity, loss of natural landscapes and reduce greenhouse gases. In the United States, the recommendations of
“conserving 30 percent of the nation’s lands by 2030” has been made by many environmental
groups such as the Defenders of Wildlife, Center for American Progress, The
Wilderness Society and many others. The
original goal and intent is to protect “natural areas” of land and ocean.
In 2019, former Senator Tom Udall introduced
to Congress, S. Res. 372. Current
Secretary of Interior and former Congresswoman, Deb Haaland introduced H. Res.835 in 2020, with both resolutions suggesting the United States establish a
national goal of conserving at least 30 percent of the land and ocean by
2030. On January 27, 2021, President
Biden issued an executive order to implement a 30 x 30 plan conserving land and
ocean in the United States.
Executive Order 14008 “Tackling theClimate Crisis at Home and Abroad,” section 216 “Conserving Our Nations Landsand Waters” directed Secretary’s of Interior, Agriculture, Commerce and the
Chair of Council on Environmental Quality to submit a report recommending steps
the United States should take to achieve the 30 x 30 goal. The report was delivered on May 6, 2021, and
rebranded as “Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful.”
The “America the Beautiful” report
did little to clarify the difference between protecting or conserving land and
water. Conservation Biology principles
advocate 50 percent or more of the ecoregions be protected to ensure
conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services. What is allowed under a
protection designation and or a conservation designation? This is an important
distinction and the definition of conserving and protecting will be a major
starting point.
What is the science behind the
recommendation? Many of the advocates
cite just “scientists” and little data to show that the 30 x 30 recommendation
is required or needed. The 30 x 30 logo
has been adopted by the environmental community. However, not all groups are on
board. The Nature Conservancy in their
30 x 30: Eight Steps to Protect the Best on Earth, does not agree. They state,
“There is no science that defines a universal threshold for the proportion of
the planet that needs to be protected, no magical threshold, in other words, at
which the Earth enters a safe zone.”
When land is protected with no use or
management, the concept of “The Balance of Nature” is envisioned by the general
public and is widely believed. It appears
in health food brand names and news sources everywhere. It has been promoted in
movies such as the “Lion King” when Mufasa explains to his son Simba:
“Everything you see exists together, in a delicate balance.” However, that is an enduring myth, as nature
is not in balance nor has it been. Man
become part of the equation and Darwin’s theory of “Survival of the Fittest” is
at play all the time. The earth has been warming and cooling, with wetter and
drier cycles since the beginning of time and changes have been occurring
concurrently to the fauna and flora worldwide.
What will be the physical and fiscal
impacts of this major land reclassification? Survival International, an
advocate for Indigenous people has speculated based on past history of land
protection, that “300 million Indigenous people will be displaced to meet the
world 30 x 30 goal.” Some disagree with the 300 million figure but also acknowledge that previous land protection programs have dislodged Indigenous people. History shows that
American Indigenous people were displaced during the settlement of America. Big government has a propensity to take what
it wants, when it wants.
How much land are we talking about? There are approximately 2.3 billion acres in
the United States, including Alaska. It will require that the United States set
aside 681 million acres to meet the 30 x 30 goal. That is equivalent to protecting the states
of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Texas, Washington, Wyoming,
New Hampshire, and New Jersey, or an area four times the size of Texas.
What land classification or
management will meet the requirement of 30 percent conservation? What federal, state and private lands will be
included or targeted? Nationally the
Federal Government does not have enough land to satisfy the goal. Private land will be needed for inclusion in
the set aside, but what “conservation” practice and restrictions are required
to qualify under the 30 percent? Do
federally managed multiple-use lands qualify under the term “conservation”? There
are 391 million acres of land devoted to crops and under private ownership and
650 million acres in grassland, pasture and range. Will eminent domain come into
play or will the federal agencies employ regulations to force relinquishment of
property rights?
The report “Conserving and Restoring
America the Beautiful” to President Biden’s National Climate Task Force recommends
that the effort to conserve 30 percent of the land and water honor Tribal
Sovereignty, private property rights, use science as a guide and to be
collaborative, etc. This sends a mixed
message as The Secretary of Interior on February 11, 2021, rescinded the
previous administration’s order to require “A written expression of support by
both the affected Governor and local county or county government-equivalent is
required for the acquisition of land, water, or an interest in land or water
under the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund.” This seems to open the door for a heavier
handed government role in acquiring land and water under the 30 x 30 plan. The Antiquities Act of 1906 authorized the
President with a stroke of the pen to lock away federal land into a National
Monument and has been recently touted by environmental groups as a means to
protect land under the 30 x 30 plan.
These and many more questions need to
be addressed and honestly debated prior to the implementation of any restrictive land use designations. .
It is imperative that you get
involved in asking and help in answering the questions at the local level. Let
your voice be heard!
Jerry Schickedanz is the Dean Emeritus of the college of ACES and holds the Evelyn Linebery Chair at the Linebery Policy Center for Natural Resource Management at NMSU.
