The new year offers a chance for us all to reflect on what we value most deeply, what brings us joy, what inspires awe, and also, what we have to lose. For Bonnie Rice, a Senior Representative for the Sierra Club's Greater Yellowstone/Northern Rockies campaign, this reflection emphasized the tenuousness of our biodiversity amidst the sixth mass extinction. She writes:
“Life as we now know it on earth is rapidly changing and disappearing. Our children will inherit a very different, diminished world without urgent, concerted action now to protect the earth’s remaining biodiversity…
“The next eight years are absolutely critical to identify and protect remaining intact lands and waters in order to slow both the extinction and climate crises. It is up to all of us to press the Biden administration to act urgently to meet this goal. So much of what can and will happen depends on what each of us does today, and every day, to speak up for species who have no voice in our politics, and the habitat they need to thrive.”
Right now, we have the opportunity to make our voices heard on the Biden Administration's efforts to protect 30% of lands and waters by 2030 by submitting a public comment. The Department of the Interior, in coordination with the Departments of Agriculture and Commerce and the Council on Environmental Quality, is opening a public comment period through March 7th. The focus of this comment period will be on the development of the American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas (Atlas), a new tool that will be used to establish baseline information on the lands and waters that are conserved or restored.
Through this comment period, the agencies aim to answer questions including: “How can the Atlas reflect the meaningful conservation work already underway in America?” and “How can the Atlas best reflect land and water contributions to biodiversity, climate change mitigation and resilience, and equitable access to nature and its benefits?”
Oregon Wild and the PNW Forest Climate Alliance (including Sierra Club members from the Chapter’s Forest Team and Conservation Committee) encourage you to submit a comment highlighting the important role forests must play in the 30x30 campaign.
Why should conserving mature and old growth forests be a cornerstone in efforts to protect 30% of lands and waters by 2030?
It's a win-win for carbon and biodiversity.
- The United States is facing twin ecological crises: climate change and biodiversity loss. Conserving our mature and old growth forests will safeguard our critical carbon sinks on the landscape while also protecting intact forest and stream habitat.
It directly addresses the impacts of climate change and protects communities.
- Mature and old growth forests prevent soil erosion and flooding.
- Older forests protect drinking water and clean air.
- Protecting mature and old growth forests helps save fish and wildlife.
- Mature and old growth forests are better able to withstand and recover from more frequent and severe wildfires.
There is very little intact forest left in the US, yet these forests are still under threat from logging.
- Our land management agencies should be working to shift their focus from measuring board feet harvested to recovering biodiversity and measuring metric tons of carbon dioxide sequestered and stored.
- Pacific Northwest forests store more carbon per acre than tropical rainforests, a vital natural climate solution.