The United States is losing wild lands at an alarming pace — a football field’s worth of natural land is lost to human development every 30 seconds.
Ecologists, led by esteemed Harvard University professor emeritus E.O. Wilson, say that we must protect at least 50% of land and water to prevent the majority of animal and plant species from going extinct.
This is Western Resource Advocates’ goal for the West, and we recognize that the biggest challenge is mobilizing political will to protect half the planet. To move toward our goal, we have set an interim target of preserving 30% of lands and water by 2030.
Protecting and connecting natural landscapes and watersheds across our region is crucial to help animal and plant species survive and thrive and to ensure the health of our rivers, lakes, and water supplies, as well as combat the global climate crisis.
In 2021, President Joe Biden issued an executive order to conserve 30% of federal lands and waters by 2030. Now, state and local action will be needed to help reach our target of protecting 30% of all Western land.
To achieve that goal, state lawmakers and land managers must increase protected areas like state parks and wildlife areas, while working collaboratively with communities and stakeholders to ensure that access for uses such as hunting and fishing can continue. Additionally, we must ensure state land managers coordinate closely with their federal counterparts to preserve more state and federal lands.
We’re working with state and local decision makers, partner organizations, and communities across the West to get it done.
Select your state to take action now!
We’re working to advance state-level policies to protect 30% of Western lands by 2030. We’ll be updating this page to let you know where 30×30 initiatives stand in each of the states we work in.
Find out the status of 30×30 and how to take action where you live below!
These five Western states do not yet have a state-level 30×30 directive. Currently, they have protections for between 8% and 15% of land.
We’ve drafted a letter below for you to send to your state representative, stating your support for setting a goal to protect 30% of your state’s land and water by 2030. You can simply enter your information and hit send. Or use the text box to personalize your letter, add to it, or start from scratch to tell your representative why you support this conservation goal.
Tell lawmakers in these states that you support protecting 30×30! >>
In August 2021, New Mexico established an official 30×30 target.
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order setting a goal of protecting and connecting 30% of lands and waters by 2030. Currently, about 6% of New Mexico’s land is protected. This is a crucial first step to preserve more of the state’s land, water, and wildlife.
Thank New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham for signing an executive order that sets a goal of protecting and connecting 30% of lands by 2030 by 2030! >>
In May 2021, Nevada became the first state in the nation to take legislative action on 30×30!
Nevada’s legislature passed Assembly Joint Resolution 3, a resolution that would encourage the state to safeguard 30% of its land and water by 2030. We’ve drafted a letter below for you to send to your state senator and representative, thanking them for passing AJR3. You can simply enter your information and hit send. Or use the text box to personalize your message to tell your senator why you’re excited about the state’s 30×30 goal!
Say thanks! Send your legislators a note letting them know you appreciate their action on 30×30! >>
