30x30 Update: America the Beautiful Campaign
The Biden administration recently released its first report outlining how it plans to achieve its goal of conserving 30% of America's waters and lands by 2030.
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The report—which was developed by the U.S. Departments of the Interior, Agriculture and Commerce, as well as the White House Council on Environmental Quality—details recommendations for the America the Beautiful campaign, a "10-year, locally led and voluntary nationwide effort to restore and conserve America's lands, waters and wildlife."
The campaign is a call to action that lays out a framework for how the federal government will support and coordinate locally led conservation efforts around the country to implement 30x30, an international initiative that aims for formal protection of 30% of Earth's lands and waters by 2030. This goal will allow our natural spaces protections they need to face climate change-related impacts such as warming temperatures and severe weather.
The recent report details eight principles to achieve the nation's first conservation goal:
- Pursue a collaborative and inclusive approach to conservation.
- Conserve America's lands and waters for the benefit of all people.
- Support locally led and locally designed conservation efforts.
- Honor tribal sovereignty and support the priorities of tribal nations.
- Pursue conservation and restoration approaches that create jobs and support healthy communities.
- Honor private property rights and support the voluntary stewardship efforts of private landowners and fishers.
- Use science as a guide.
- Build on existing tools and strategies with an emphasis on flexibility and adaptive approaches.
Next steps for the America the Beautiful campaign include creating an American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas—a tool to measure conservation progress—along with establishing more parks, expanding access to nature, enhancing wildlife corridors, incentivizing voluntary conservation efforts and investing in jobs that support wildlife and ecosystem restoration.
At the National Aquarium, as we continue to focus on our conservation goals of combating climate change, saving wildlife and habitats, and stopping plastic pollution, we fully support the administration's goal of conserving 30% of America's waters and lands by 2030.