Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Prioritizing equitable access supports biodiversity and climate goals
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Friday, December 9, 2022
Proposed Western Riverside National Wildlife Refuge near Los Angeles. Photo: Hispanic Access Foundation.
A new report from Hispanic Access Foundation ([link removed]) shows that improving access to nature can improve quality of life for underserved communities while also protecting biodiversity and fighting climate change.
The study was released at the recent COP27 United Nations Conference on Climate Change ([link removed]) and suggests ten policy areas that would have a big impact on biodiversity, climate change, and underserved communities. According to the report, equitable access to nature is a key part of improving biodiversity and mitigating climate impacts, as well as addressing the historical harms of colonialism, racism, and disinvestment in marginalized communities.
The policy priorities range from small to large-scale steps, including centering indigenous land and water management, greening urban spaces, providing clean water, supporting sustainable agriculture, and cleaning up oil and gas wells. Even small-scale local actions like planting more native plants in neighborhoods provide strong benefits to both communities and ecosystems.
Equitable access to nature is a lens through which governments and communities can approach conservation and climate mitigation. When equity is prioritized alongside important measures like cutting emissions, the result is healthier communities, ecosystems, and a more stable climate.
The report concludes that conservation and outdoor equity are complementary goals. "When you look at it through the lens of access, you end up leveraging people's health and jobs and racial equity and mental and physical well-being," explained Shanna Edberg of Hispanic Access Foundation ([link removed]) .
Quick hits
** Opinion: New Mexico voters show conservation and communities matter
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Albuquerque Journal ([link removed])
** Interior to pause California lease sales after NEPA court ruling
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Reuters ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])
** Joshua Tree National Park and Twenty Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians to collaborate under a new stewardship agreement
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Backpacker ([link removed])
** Household water wells are drying up in record numbers as California drought worsens
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Los Angeles Times ([link removed])
** Interior Department breaks ground on aquatic restoration projects in the Mountain West
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KUNR ([link removed])
** Lesser prairie chicken could become Colorado’s first “climate casualty” after rescue attempt falters
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Denver Post ([link removed])
** What Utah court's youth climate case decision means for similar cases
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High Country News ([link removed])
** Study shows Indigenous Americans broke the cycle of destructive wildfires
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Science ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” The human right to water in California exists, and yet it’s clearly not being met in many areas. And if groundwater levels continue to decline, matters will get worse before they get better.”
— Scott Jasechko ([link removed]) , associate professor of hydrology at UC Santa Barbara
Picture this
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** @USFWS ([link removed])
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Bear splooting season is officially over. Gone are the sweltering summer temps — hibernation mode activated. Most bears den during the winter months. The length of denning depends on where the bear lives and can vary from weeks to months.
📸: Black bear by Don Harris
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