You’ve heard the warning: If we fail to act affirmatively to save plants, animals and their habitats, we could lose up to 1 million species by century’s end. We are on the verge of a sixth mass extinction, and biodiversity loss is escalating globally. Thinking about solving a problem of this magnitude is overwhelming, given the daunting factors of population growth, climate change and the countless economic, sociocultural and governance changes that must occur to change our relationship with nature from one of dominance to one of coexistence.
But one aspect of the problem is simple: We must protect more land and water from development for energy, agriculture, transportation infrastructure and urban growth. Land-use change is a primary driver of the world’s biodiversity crisis. In the U.S., we lost 24-million acres of natural lands between 2001 and 2017, which is the equivalent to losing nine Grand Canyon National Parks over that time period. If we don’t protect lands and waters now, we will continue to lose a football field of wild spaces every 30 seconds as species go extinct under our watch. That is why Defenders joined in the call for the protection of 30% of the nation’s lands and waters by 2030.
Fortunately, in the United States, we already have a system of protected natural areas dedicated to the conservation of wildlife in the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS). Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the NWRS is the only federal lands system that by law prioritizes the conservation of biological diversity and mandates plans to strategically grow the system, which makes it the perfect place to start when developing strategies for achieving our 30x30 and biodiversity protection goals.
Protecting 30% of America’s Lands and Waters Should Include Expanding the NWRS
But one aspect of the problem is simple: We must protect more land and water from development for energy, agriculture, transportation infrastructure and urban growth. Land-use change is a primary driver of the world’s biodiversity crisis. In the U.S., we lost 24-million acres of natural lands between 2001 and 2017, which is the equivalent to losing nine Grand Canyon National Parks over that time period. If we don’t protect lands and waters now, we will continue to lose a football field of wild spaces every 30 seconds as species go extinct under our watch. That is why Defenders joined in the call for the protection of 30% of the nation’s lands and waters by 2030.
Fortunately, in the United States, we already have a system of protected natural areas dedicated to the conservation of wildlife in the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS). Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the NWRS is the only federal lands system that by law prioritizes the conservation of biological diversity and mandates plans to strategically grow the system, which makes it the perfect place to start when developing strategies for achieving our 30x30 and biodiversity protection goals.
Protecting 30% of America’s Lands and Waters Should Include Expanding the NWRS
