Yesterday, the Center for Western Priorities released a new online ad promoting the ’30×30′ plan to protect 30 percent of America’s land and water by 2030. The ad is running over the next month on Youtube and on political websites, targeted to audiences in Washington, D.C. and Delaware.
“Protect 30×30” announces the “30×30 moment has arrived, to turn the nature crisis into a conservation legacy” by bringing together “parks, people, wildlife and climate in one bold vision.”
Nature across the world is collapsing, according to biologists. Global human activity has altered three-quarters of the Earth’s lands, and within the United States, about a football field worth of natural area is converted to human development every 30 seconds. Hundreds of scientists are warning the rapid loss of natural space will result in a mass extinction, exacerbated by climate change. In the face of this crisis, ecologists are urging the conservation of at least 30 percent of the planet’s lands and oceans by 2030, a critical step that can protect nature, strengthen communities, and improve public health.
The Center for Western Priorities ‘Winning the West 2020’ poll, taken before the 2020 election, showed overwhelming approval for the 30×30 initiative in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, and New Mexico, with the bold but achievable initiative receiving 75 percent support from voters and majority support across party lines.
“The past election cycle in the Mountain West we saw candidates across party lines highlighting their pro-conservation positions and efforts to protect outdoor spaces,” said Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Jennifer Rokala. “That’s because public lands conservation is a consensus issue for Western voters. As a new Biden administration and Congress come into power, we believe the 30×30 initiative can be an early bi-partisan win that leaves a lasting conservation legacy. American is ready for 30×30.”
In an increasingly divided political environment, it was particularly noteworthy that the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act and the Great American Outdoors Act were among the few pieces of non-COVID-19-related legislation to be passed by large bipartisan margins and signed into law last year.
Last summer and fall the Center for Western Priorities led a “Road to 30” virtual tour around the West to discuss the bold vision for protecting America’s natural heritage, meeting with local conservation leaders along the way and exploring how this goal can benefit communities and public health and help with economic recovery following the COVID-19 outbreak. In conjunction with the events, the Center for Western Priorities released an interactive storymap series exploring different approaches to and angles of the 30×30 goal, from the role of national parks and wildlife refuges to the ways in which 30×30 can open up land access for sportsmen and women. The series highlights conservation case studies and examples across America, celebrating successes while pulling out lessons for the future.
For more information, visit westernpriorities.org.
Aaron Weiss is Media Director for the Center for Western Priorities.