FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 28, 2024
Contact: Stefanie Lao, (818) 261-6871, stefanie@fcpcommunications.com
Cali, Colombia — California state leaders, Tribal representatives, scientists, and advocates today called attention to the urgent need to protect biodiversity, the state’s leadership and progress, and time-sensitive opportunities to designate national monuments. This call to action took place at an event in Cali, Colombia, during the 16th United Nations Conference on Biological Diversity (COP16).
“California is a leader and ready partner in the global movement to conserve and restore nature,” said California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot. “We have made significant progress towards conserving and restoring our state’s lands and coastal waters. We’ve done this while prioritizing equitable access to nature, meaningful Tribal engagement, and an inclusive, community-based approach. This is progress, and we know that we need to do more.” Scientists worldwide agree that in order to curb extinction rates and prevent the most severe impacts of climate change, we must – at a minimum – protect at least 30% of the planet’s lands and coastal waters by 2030 (a goal referred to as 30×30).
The focus of COP16 is the implementation of the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which established 23 targets to protect nature, including a global 30×30 goal. Since Governor Newsom committed California to the 30×30 goal in 2020, the state has made significant progress, with 25.2% of its lands and 16.2% of its coastal waters conserved. “I’m fortunate to represent California’s Bay Area, where coastal waters and biodiversity are just minutes away from even the most urban areas,” said Assemblymember Matt Haney (AD-17).
“I see firsthand both the urgency and the opportunity to realize California’s combined goals for a healthy economy, innovative technology, access to nature, and biodiversity protection.” To build on California’s momentum, Tribal representatives, elected officials, and scientists are calling on the Biden administration to advance public lands protections, invest in transformational conservation projects and programs, and honor Tribal priorities. These Tribal priorities include the proposed designation of three new national monuments in the state in order to protect cultural landscapes and biodiversity. In the California Desert, this includes the proposed Kw’tsán National Monument and Chuckwalla National Monument.
The proposed Kw’tsán National Monument would protect more than 390,000 acres in Imperial County. The proposed Chuckwalla National Monument includes approximately 644,000 acres of public lands in Riverside and Imperial Counties. “For us, protecting biodiversity is about more than protecting the environment,” said Lena Ortega, Kw’tsán Cultural Committee Member, Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe. “Our culture, spirituality, and identity are connected to the ecosystems our people have inhabited for thousands of years. If a species goes extinct, if a mountain is destroyed by mining, if a river runs dry due to over-extraction – that is the same thing to us as losing a relative or having someone close to us harmed. We lose a part of ourselves and our history.
We are here at COP16 to ensure our voices are being heard as we call for the proposed Kw’tsán National Monument and Chuckwalla National Monument – and to help amplify the voices of global Indigenous communities who are in the same fight as us to preserve our culture for future generations.” In Northern California, the Pit River Nation is calling for the designation of the proposed Sáttítla National Monument. This would protect over 200,000 acres of culturally significant, ecologically rich, and geologically unique land within the Shasta-Trinity, Klamath, and Modoc National Forests in northeastern California.
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