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President Biden pulled off a rare feat unveiling his ten-year “America the Beautiful” conservation plan—it was greeted by near-universal praise across political and geographic lines. The report from four agencies, which is a 24-page road map for increasing environmental equity and protecting 30 percent of America’s land and ocean by 2030, was welcomed by farmers and ranchers, conservation groups, Republicans, and Democrats.
The Nature Conservancy’s Lynn Scarlett, a former deputy Interior secretary under George W. Bush, praised the plan’s focus on using multiple forms of protection to reach the 30x30 goal.
“Protected areas and federal designations are important,” Scarlett said, “but integrating other management authorities and working waters, lands and oceans is also necessary to achieving this goal.”
Muted criticism of the plan primarily focused on its lack of detail, which will be filled in as dozens of agencies begin implementing it in the coming weeks and months. Notably, the report calls for the creation of an interagency Conservation and Stewardship Atlas to define and measure conservation designations across the country, a data set that does not currently exist.
Later this year, the Interior Department, in collaboration with other agencies, will start publishing an annual “America the Beautiful” report to track progress on the coordinated conservation efforts.
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Land and water conservation is a critical part of our effort to tackle the climate crisis. This report is a strong start and lays out a vision that aligns with the kind of conservation efforts we know to be successful in Colorado — efforts that take a locally-led, collaborative, and inclusive approach and bring into the fold the private landowners, farmers, and ranchers who are already stewards of our natural resources.”
