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Tableof Contents

Envisioning America the Beautiful................................................................................................................4

Letter to America ..........................................................................................................................................6

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................8

President Biden’s Challenge........................................................................................................................10

Early Listening and Learning .......................................................................................................................11

Principles for a Locally Led Effort to Conserve and Restore America the Beautiful...................................13

Principle 1: Pursue a Collaborative and Inclusive Approach to Conservation........................................13

Principle 2: Conserve America’s Lands and Waters for the Benefit of All People..................................14

Principle 3: Support Locally Led and Locally Designed Conservation Efforts.........................................14

Principle 4: Honor Tribal Sovereignty and Support the Priorities of Tribal Nations...............................14

Principle 5: Pursue Conservation and Restoration Approaches that Create Jobs and Support Healthy 

Communities...........................................................................................................................................15

Principle 6: Honor Private Property Rights and Support the Voluntary Stewardship Efforts of Private 

Landowners and Fishers .........................................................................................................................15

Principle 7: Use Science as a Guide.........................................................................................................15

Principle 8: Build on Existing Tools and Strategies with an Emphasis on Flexibility and Adaptive 

Approaches.............................................................................................................................................16

Measuring Progress for Nature and People................................................................................................16

Recommendations for Early Focus and Progress in the America the Beautiful Campaign ........................18

Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................21

Endnotes.....................................................................................................................................................23
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Envisioning America the Beautiful

“Positive, bipartisan, community-driven conservation efforts are already happening in our 

community. I pledge to continue to pull stakeholders together—recognizing this goal will take 

action at the neighborhood, community, state, and national level. Together, we can and must 

protect nature for generations to come.”—Letter from more than 70 mayors

“...We support 30 by 30 policies that recognize hunting and fishing as well-managed and 

sustainable activities that are in harmony with other management goals. Maintaining the sense of 

connection to our abundant resources and unrivaled natural beauty that these activities provide is 

essential to ensuring we have natural resource and biodiversity stewards for the next century, just 

as we have had in the past.”—Hunt Fish 30x30

“We view the intent of...30 by 30...as an opportunity to build durable conservation, outdoor 

recreation, equitable access to the outdoors, and climate resiliency outcomes that are crucial to our 

industry and our constituents.”—Outdoor Alliance, Outdoor Industry Association, The 

Conservation Alliance

"All communities should have equitable access to nearby green space, the ability to reach it, and 

features that honor and welcome diverse languages, inclusive histories, and uses of parkland. 

Natural areas and natural resources should be managed inclusively and locally, reflecting the 

communities they serve, with co-management by Indigenous and tribal nations."—Hispanic 

Access Foundation

“Traditional mechanisms of land protection like permanent acquisition, easement or federal 

designation will rightfully play a role in achieving 30 by 30. At the same time, over-reliance on these 

tools, or an insistence that these mechanisms are the only way to protect land fails to recognize the 

contributions to conservation of those already on the land. Working landscapes are the 

cornerstones of communities and functional ecosystems in the West. They are disappearing and 

taking nature with them as they go.”—Western Landowners Alliance

“...the Council stands ready to assist the Administration in implementing the Executive Order and 

engaging impacted native communities. This includes promoting fishing practices in line with 

sustainability and local island culture, supporting international agreements, protecting essential 

habitat, developing underutilized or underrepresented fisheries, allow fair and equitable access to 

participate in management processes, promoting a ‘bottom-up’ approach to resource management, 

and optimizing sustainable use of resources through its management plans.”—Western Pacific 

Regional Fishery Management Council

“We’re working to ensure 30x30 is built on the needs of the people – those who live closest to, and 

are most dependent on, these lands and waters, as well as those who have been disproportionately 

burdened by nature loss and lack of access to the benefits of nature. We must also ensure that what 

we protect is preserved as a network of linked habitat, including both large-scale landscapes and 

small parks, so species are able to migrate and otherwise move around in response to climate 

change and other shifts.”—The Wilderness Society
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“Tribal Nations are key to the success of the 30x30 policy initiative in the U.S. as they are 

intrinsically linked, presently and historically, to existing and prospective protected areas. Tribal 

Nations are the original stewards of these lands and waters and have been the most effective 

managers and protectors of biodiversity since time immemorial....The 30x30 policy serves as a 

vitally important opportunity to safeguard the environment, Tribal cultural values, strengthen the 

Nation-to-Nation relationship, and uphold Tribal sovereignty and self-determination.”—Letter 

from Tribal Leaders and Tribal organization leaders

“...our nation’s farmers, ranchers, and foresters [are] essential allies in the effort to reach the 30x30 

goals for biodiversity conservation and climate mitigation. The lands that they manage are critical 

for wildlife habitat, carbon sequestration, food security, clean water, and rural prosperity....To be 

successful, these policies must embrace USDA’s legacy of voluntary, incentive-based, and locally led 

conservation and be strategically targeted.”—American Farmland Trust

"Protecting public lands and increasing representation, meaningful participation, quality, and 

access to the outdoors must go hand in hand. President Biden's recent commitment to ‘30x30’ is an 

important step in that direction. Conserving more public lands and rivers will give more Black 

people a chance to reconnect and revel in nature. Protecting lands and waters near Black 

communities will also help ensure that Black people have cleaner air to breathe and safer drinking 

water. Our planet needs our collective stewardship."—Outdoor Afro

“To succeed requires better science and large-scale spatial planning to identify, conserve, restore 

and protect climate-resilient habitats. It must include sustainable resource management backed by 

robust public policies and funding to address systemic changes in different geographies and 

communities.”—The Nature Conservancy

“Counties recognize that comprehensive land use planning and growth management are central to 

our social and economic stability. How we use our land directly affects our ability to accommodate 

development, protect valuable natural resources, minimize pollution, preserve the cultural and 

historical character of our community, and maintain a high quality of life for current and future 

residents.”—Chair of National Association of Counties’ Environment, Energy and Land Use 

Steering Committee

"We applaud this ambitious goal and the attention it brings to the power of nature-based climate 

solutions. Natural resource professionals are key allies in tackling climate change and improving 

the overall health and resilience of ecosystems across public and private lands."—Society of 

American Foresters, Association of Consulting Foresters, Society for Range Management, The 

Wildlife Society

“By protecting at least 30% of the U.S. ocean by 2030—a commitment that is supported by four out 

of five American voters—the U.S. can ensure that our coastal communities and economies thrive, 

that our ocean life is protected, and that our ocean is given a chance to adapt to climate change and 

ocean acidification.”—National Ocean Protection Coalition

“Comprised of both land sector practitioners and senior advisors to the governors, the U.S. Climate 

Alliance would welcome the opportunity to support federal 30x30 efforts by facilitating sustained 

collaboration with the states – at a technical and political level – to inform robust, integrated 

federal and state 30x30 strategies.”—U.S. Climate Alliance, representing a bipartisan coalition 

of two dozen U.S. governors
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Letter to America

As we write this, America is engaged in an all-hands-on-deck effort to defeat a deadly pandemic and 

tackle the climate crisis. We are proud to be a part of a team that is delivering relief to families in 

need, helping businesses weather the economic storm, and ensuring that millions of Americans 

receive vaccine shots each day. 

The road to a full recovery remains steep, but President Biden is determined to lead America to 

new heights. He has laid out a vision and a plan for building back better that will repower America 

with clean energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions at home and abroad, create millions of goodpaying jobs, and—importantly—conserve and restore the lands and waters that support and 

sustain us.

President Biden has challenged all of us as Americans to join together in pursuit of a goal of 

conserving at least 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030. The ambition of this goal reflects 

the urgency of the challenges we face: the need to do more to safeguard the drinking water, clean 

air, food supplies, and wildlife upon which we all depend; the need to fight climate change with the 

natural solutions that our forests, agricultural lands, and the ocean provide; and the need to give 

every child in America the chance to experience the wonders of nature.

The President’s national conservation goal also provides an opportunity to better honor and 

support the people and communities who serve as stewards of our lands and waters. Rather than 

simply measuring conservation progress by national parks, wilderness lands, and marine protected 

areas in the care of the government, the President’s vision recognizes and celebrates the voluntary 

conservation efforts of farmers, ranchers, and forest owners; the leadership of sovereign Tribal 

Nations in caring for lands, waters, and wildlife; the contributions and stewardship traditions of 

America’s hunters, anglers, and fishing communities; and the vital importance of investing in 

playgrounds, trails, and open space in park-deprived communities. The President’s challenge is a 

call to action to support locally led conservation and restoration efforts of all kinds and all over 

America, wherever communities wish to safeguard the lands and waters they know and love. Doing 

so will not only protect our lands and waters but also boost our economy and support jobs 

nationwide.

The central recommendation of this report, which we submit to the National Climate Task Force, is 

that the pursuit of a decade-long national conservation effort be faithful to eight core principles. 

These principles—which include a commitment to collaboration, support for voluntary and locally

led conservation, and honoring of Tribal sovereignty and private property rights—are essential 

ingredients to building and maintaining broad support, enthusiasm, and trust for this effort. These 

principles are also indispensable to achieving durable outcomes that meaningfully improve the 

lives of Americans. 
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This report is only the starting point on the path to fulfilling the conservation vision that President 

Biden has outlined. Where this path leads over the next decade will be determined not by our 

agencies, but by the ideas and leadership of local communities. It is our job to listen, learn, and 

provide support along the way to help strengthen economies and pass on healthy lands, waters, and 

wildlife for generations to come.

Sincerely,

Deb Haaland

Secretary of the Interior

Thomas J. Vilsack

Secretary of Agriculture

Gina M. Raimondo

Secretary of Commerce

Brenda Mallory

Chair, Council on Environmental Quality
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Introduction

This report and the recommendations that follow are anchored in a simple truth: nature is essential 

to the health, well-being, and prosperity of every family and every community in America.

Since before America’s founding, the health and productivity of the continent’s lands and waters 

supported an abundance of human life and activity. From the bounty of the Great Plains and vast 

coastal forests to the high deserts of the Southwest and beyond, Native peoples built some of the 

most enduring and advanced civilizations on Earth. Many hundreds of Indian Tribes lived 

sustainably on the lands for millennia.

The promise of arable and productive land fueled centuries of migration to America’s shores, 

bringing fortune-seekers and refugees who sought a better life, and also millions of women, men, 

and children who were captured and forced into generations of slavery and oppression. As the 

Industrial Age dawned, the new nation’s coal, oil, minerals, and timber powered fast-growing 

industries. America’s rich seas—and the cod, salmon, lobster, and other seafood they supplied—

became the engine for the most productive and profitable fisheries on the planet. Farmers, 

ranchers, and forest owners have built vibrant rural economies that supply food and fiber to the 

world, while also developing strong and lasting stewardship traditions that are a proud cornerstone 

of America’s conservation heritage.

Over the past century, the breathtaking beauty of the American landscapes and coastlines emerged 

as their own economic engine, attracting visitors from around the globe to the Grand Canyon, 

Yellowstone, and the country’s unparalleled parks, monuments, and public lands and waters. 

Outdoor recreation contributes an estimated $460 billion to the nation’s economy, with mayors and 

local leaders recognizing parks, beaches, and open spaces as indispensable infrastructure for livable 

and prosperous communities, for purifying air and drinking water, and in defending against the 

impacts of climate change.1

Often, our nation’s lands and waters have been venues of struggle and injustice. For well over a 

century, the U.S. Government waged war against Native peoples, taking their lands, killing their 

sacred wildlife, implementing brutal assimilation policies, and making and breaking promises. The 

horrors of the Civil War are still etched in the American landscape, reminders of the costs and 

consequences of slavery, racism, and division.

At their best, however, America’s lands and waters are places where Americans find unity and forge 

common bonds. Over the past year, in particular, America the Beautiful has been a source of 

strength, comfort, and inspiration for a nation battling a deadly pandemic. Parks, playgrounds, 

riverfronts, and open spaces offered refuge to families seeking fresh air and a safe place to unwind.

The past year has deepened the love and appreciation that many people in our country feel for 

nature, and for the work that past generations have done to conserve natural places and wildlife for 

us to enjoy. It has also, however, brought into focus three problems that threaten the lands, waters, 

and wildlife upon which we depend:

● The disappearance of nature: Both globally and nationally, scientists are sounding the alarm 

about a catastrophic extinction crisis that threatens the biodiversity of our planet and the 
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health of the natural systems that supply our food, water, and other resources.2 In the U.S., 

approximately 12,000 wildlife species need conservation assistance to avoid the threat of 

extinction.3 The disappearance of bees and other pollinators is reducing crop yields and 

threatens food security.4 Already, there are three billion fewer birds in North America than 

there were 50 years ago.5 Critical ocean habitats are declining, including an estimated 90 

percent loss of live corals in the Florida Keys over the past 40 years and up to a 90 percent loss 

of bull kelp off of the northern coast of California in less than 10 years.6 Roughly half of the 

riparian ecosystems and wetlands in the lower 48 States have already been lost, while more 

than 17,000 square miles of ranchland and farmland were lost to development or fragmented in 

the last two decades.7

● Climate change: The nature crisis is exacerbated by climate change, which is rapidly altering 

ecosystems on land and water. Ocean waters are warming, causing sea level rise, species 

migration, and altering circulation patterns.8 Ocean acidification and deoxygenation due to 

climate change pose significant threats to many marine species that sustain ocean life as we 

know it, such as seagrasses, krill, and corals.9 Climate change is contributing to historic 

droughts and floods, more frequent and intense wildfires and natural disasters, and the spread 

of invasive species.10 The impacts of climate change on habitat are forcing some wildlife to new 

areas to survive, while squeezing other species closer to extinction.11 These trends are 

predicted to continue, disrupting the balance of nature across the country.

● Inequitable access to the outdoors: As a result of discrimination and segregation in housing, 

transportation, conservation, and natural resource policy, communities of color and low-income 

communities have disproportionately less access to nature’s benefits, such as clean water, clean 

air, and access to nature.12 These same communities, meanwhile, shoulder a disproportionate 

share of the costs of nature’s decline, including more pollution nearby, loss of subsistence 

fishing and hunting, and encroaching industrial development.13 An estimated 100 million 

Americans do not have a park within a ten-minute walk of their home.14 In too many 

neighborhoods and communities across America, families are finding too few close-to-home 

opportunities to safely enjoy the outdoors.

Together, these three issues pose grave risks to the abundance, resilience, and accessibility of the 

natural resources that are at the foundation of America’s economy and well-being. These 

challenges, however, also present opportunities. Restoring forests to a more resilient condition 

creates jobs and reduces the threat of catastrophic wildfire. Restoring and maintaining healthy 

marine ecosystems supports fisheries and recreation. Building and improving parks in underserved 

neighborhoods improves public health, reduces temperatures on hot days, and creates joy and 

opportunity. Providing incentives for voluntary conservation practices rewards ranchers and 

farmers for being good stewards of working lands, waters, and wildlife habitat.

As the country works to recover and rebuild from the coronavirus pandemic and fully address the 

climate crisis, now is the time to develop and pursue a locally led, nationally scaled effort to 

conserve, connect, and restore the lands, waters, and wildlife upon which we all depend. The 

America the Beautiful campaign recommended and outlined by this report is inspired by President

Biden’s ten-year conservation challenge, builds on the nation’s proud and collaborative 

stewardship traditions, and strives to give every person in America—present and future—the 

chance to experience the freedoms, joys, bounties, and opportunities that the nation’s rich and 
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vibrant lands and waters provide. Rising to meet this conservation challenge will improve the 

nation’s resilience against climate change and strengthen the foundation of America’s economy.

President Biden’s Challenge

President Biden and Vice President Harris wasted no time in mobilizing their administration to 

confront the environmental challenges of our time, and to harness the economic opportunities that 

will come from addressing them.

On January 27, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at 

Home and Abroad, which launched an all-of-government effort to confront climate change, repower 

America’s economy with clean energy, and create millions of jobs. The President’s directive 

articulates a clear and powerful vision for the role that the nation’s lands and waters can play in 

achieving these goals:

It is the policy of my Administration to put a new generation of Americans to work conserving 

our public lands and waters. The Federal Government must protect America's natural 

treasures, increase reforestation, improve access to recreation, and increase resilience to 

wildfires and storms, while creating well-paying union jobs for more Americans, including 

more opportunities for women and people of color in occupations where they are 

underrepresented. America's farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners have an important role 

to play in combating the climate crisis and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, by sequestering 

carbon in soils, grasses, trees, and other vegetation and sourcing sustainable bioproducts and 

fuels. Coastal communities have an essential role to play in mitigating climate change and 

strengthening resilience by protecting and restoring coastal ecosystems, such as wetlands, 

seagrasses, coral and oyster reefs, and mangrove and kelp forests, to protect vulnerable 

coastlines, sequester carbon, and support biodiversity and fisheries.15

The President’s directive recognizes the opportunities that America’s lands and waters offer and 

outlines a historic and ambitious challenge to the nation. The U.S. should aim to conserve “at least 

30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030.”16 This challenge is the first-ever national goal for the 

stewardship of nature in America. Notably, the President’s challenge specifically emphasizes the 

notion of “conservation” of the nation’s natural resources (rather than the related but different 

concept of “protection” or “preservation”) recognizing that many uses of our lands and waters, 

including of working lands, can be consistent with the long-term health and sustainability of natural 

systems. The 30 percent goal also reflects the need to support conservation and restoration efforts 

across all lands and waters, not solely on public lands, including by incentivizing voluntary 

stewardship efforts on private lands and by supporting the efforts and visions of States and Tribal 

Nations.

The goal of conserving 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030 echoes the recommendations of 

scientists who encourage world leaders to work together to conserve or restore a substantial 

portion of our planet to stem the extinction crisis, safeguard water and food supplies, absorb 

carbon pollution, and reduce the risks of future pandemics and other global health emergencies.17

As a long-standing global leader in conservation, the U.S. is among the top four countries in the 

world in the amount of remaining intact natural lands, has already established marine protected 

areas in approximately one quarter of U.S. waters, has a strong stewardship tradition on working 
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lands among ranchers, farmers, and forest owners, and has been a pioneer in the management of 

fish and wildlife.18 By supporting and accounting for existing and future conservation of public 

lands and waters, as well as collaborative and voluntary conservation efforts on working lands, 

Tribal lands, and State, local, and private lands, the U.S. is well positioned to achieve a 30 percent

goal over the next decade.

Recognizing America’s long-standing leadership in the conservation of our land, water, and wildlife, 

President Biden’s E.O. 14008 directs the administration to develop and pursue strategies that 

reflect our nation’s perspectives and priorities. In particular, E.O. 14008 directs the Secretary of the 

Interior—in coordination with the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, and the 

Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality—to deliver this report to the National Climate Task 

Force with input “from State, local, Tribal, and territorial officials, agricultural and forest 

landowners, fishermen, and other key stakeholders.”19 It also establishes the need for clear and 

transparent principles to steer the work, stating “the report shall propose guidelines for 

determining whether lands and waters qualify for conservation, and it shall establish mechanisms 

to measure progress toward the 30-percent goal.”20

This report is a first step toward developing a national conservation effort that reflects the 

President’s ambition, his determination to combat the climate crisis and address environmental 

injustice while also growing our economy, and his commitment to listening, learning, and 

supporting the extraordinary conservation work that is already underway across America.

Early Listening and Learning

Since the issuance of E.O. 14008, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) within the U.S. 

Department of Commerce, and Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) have gathered input from a 

wide range of stakeholders on how to develop an ambitious and inclusive national conservation 

effort that honors America’s conservation traditions. Senior agency officials participated in 

conversations with and received input from Tribal leaders, governors and their staff, Members of 

Congress and their staff, county officials, State elected officials, State fish and wildlife agencies, 

leaders on equity and justice in conservation policy, environmental advocacy organizations, 

hunting and fishing organizations, farming and ranching organizations, trade associations, forestry 

representatives, outdoor recreation businesses and users, the seafood industry, and others. The 

outreach conducted included virtual meetings and listening sessions, and a review of written letters 

and submissions.

This report is also informed by efforts in several states that are already moving forward with—or 

are laying the groundwork to pursue—their own conservation goals. California is embarking upon a 

stakeholder engagement process to inform its goal to conserve 30 percent of lands and coastal 

waters in California by 2030.21 The Maine Climate Council added a goal of conserving 30 percent of 

the land in Maine by 2030 in its comprehensive climate change plan.22 Hawaii launched an effort 

that focuses on effective management of 30 percent of nearshore waters and priority watershed 

forests by 2030.23 Legislation has been introduced in South Carolina, New York, Nevada, and 

Michigan to pursue similar pathways.24 More than 70 mayors from across the nation have written 
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in support of locally led conservation efforts in pursuit of conserving 30 percent of our nation’s 

lands and waters by 2030.25

In gathering input to inform this report and its preliminary recommendations, some common 

perspectives and values emerged across a broad range of stakeholders. There was, for example, 

universal appreciation of the value of America’s lands and waters—in the form of working farms,

ranches, and forests; freshwater and saltwater fishing areas; native hunting grounds; riparian 

habitats; wildlife refuges; urban parks; and more. Stakeholders described a feeling of responsibility 

to pass these lands and waters, traditions, cultures, and opportunities in the outdoors along to 

future generations.

Stakeholders also universally emphasized the importance of ongoing dialogue, engagement, and 

collaboration in developing approaches for conserving America’s lands and waters. There was a 

recognition that many Americans, including communities of color, low-income communities, and 

Tribal nations, have often been excluded from conservation, development, and natural resource 

decisions and investments. There was also an emphasis on the importance of science in guiding 

good land and ocean management decisions, and of the value, breadth, and effectiveness of many 

existing conservation tools. Stakeholders across the board—from agricultural and fishing 

organizations to leaders who focus on equity and justice in conservation policy—also generously 

offered to provide ongoing input over the coming years to help guide effective, equitable, and 

enduring outcomes.

There were several areas in which stakeholders offered divergent perspectives or raised important 

questions and concerns. There were differing views, for example, of how broadly or narrowly to 

define “conservation” and how to measure progress toward a 2030 conservation goal. There were 

concerns raised about the impacts of conserving lands and waters on future abilities to mine critical 

minerals, conduct active forest management, harvest fish, and other activities—important 

considerations that underscore the value of making balanced land and ocean management 

decisions through public processes that are informed by the best available scientific information 

and accurate maps. Other discussions with stakeholders indicated the importance of working 

collaboratively with private landowners, Tribal Nations, State agencies, fishing communities, and 

others, and the need to affirm that private property rights will be honored and protected.

Input from stakeholders also conveyed important regional, State, and local considerations. Because 

Federal agencies manage significant expanses of public lands in the West, the Federal Government’s 

conservation efforts and resources have, historically, been more focused on that region. Elected 

officials from Alaska, for example, noted that no State currently has more protected public lands. 

Ocean stakeholders also noted that many of the nation’s marine protected areas are located in the 

Western Pacific. The comments spoke to a need to recognize the unique blend of priorities, threats, 

conservation tools, and opportunities across regions and ecosystem types, such as through the 

voluntary efforts of ranchers who are conserving the prairies and wetlands of the Midwest, forest 

owners who are conserving the rich biodiversity of the Southeast, and fishers who are conserving 

important fish habitats in the Pacific Northwest. Finally, the early listening and learning conducted 

for this report underscored the extraordinary depth of experience and passion the U.S. has 

demonstrated in stewarding the nation’s natural resources, across regions, states, and stakeholders. 

This knowledge, ingenuity, and commitment offer great promise that the nation can, over the next 

decade, make great strides toward the President’s challenge to conserve and restore the health, 

productivity, and connectedness of the lands and waters upon which every community depends.
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Principles for a Locally Led Effort to Conserve 

and Restore America the Beautiful

Decades of land and water stewardship by ranchers, farmers, fishers, hunters, private property 

owners, conservation organizations, Tribal Nations, territories, State and local governments, and 

others have demonstrated that the most effective and enduring conservation strategies are those 

that reflect the priorities, needs, and perspectives of the families and communities that know, live, 

work, and care for the lands and waters.

Science can provide information about the places that are most rich in wildlife, that store the most 

carbon, or that are most rare or imperiled, but data alone should not be the sole guide or measure 

of success for how the nation protects, conserves, or restores its lands and waters. While the U.S. 

has a remarkable record of success in safeguarding iconic lands, species-rich waters, and at-risk 

wildlife, the Federal Government has also caused pain along the way: dispossessing Tribal Nations 

and Indigenous people of their lands and infringing upon their subsistence rights; evicting private 

landowners to create national parks; imposing segregationist policies on public lands and beaches; 

ignoring the contributions of communities of color and underrepresented communities in the 

preservation of national resources; and more. A renewed national commitment to land and water 

conservation can and must strive to honor the needs and priorities of all communities in America, 

help address the climate crisis, and help to strengthen the foundation of the nation’s economy.

In pursuing the President’s goal of conserving and restoring America the Beautiful, this report 

recommends adhering to eight key principles that will be critical to the success and durability of the 

effort. These equally important principles reflect a broad consensus of views and recommendations 

among the many stakeholders, agencies, and Tribes consulted in developing this report.

Principle 1: Pursue a Collaborative and Inclusive Approach to 

Conservation

The spirit of collaboration and shared purpose should animate all aspects of America’s nature 

conservation and restoration efforts over the next decade. The U.S. should seek to build upon the 

myriad examples where collaboration and consensus-building have led to significant conservation 

outcomes. Just last year, Congress passed the Great American Outdoors Act on a bipartisan basis, 

providing the single largest investment in public lands and waters in decades. In the Crown of the 

Continent in Montana, the northern Everglades in Florida, the Prairie Potholes of the upper 

Midwest and beyond, farmers, ranchers, and sportsmen and sportswomen have teamed up to 

conserve some of our nation’s most cherished landscapes and watersheds. From Bristol Bay, Alaska 

to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to the coral reefs in the Gulf of Mexico, fishers, Indigenous 

communities, and local businesses have worked together to conserve the health and productivity of 

unparalleled marine resources.
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Principle 2: Conserve America’s Lands and Waters for the Benefit of 

All People

The conservation and restoration of natural places in America should yield meaningful benefits in 

the lives of all Americans, and these benefits should be equitably distributed. The conservation 

value of a particular place should not be measured solely in biological terms, but also by its capacity 

to purify drinking water, to cool the air for a nearby neighborhood, to provide a safe outdoor escape 

for a community that is park-deprived, to help America prepare for and respond to the impacts of 

climate change, or to unlock access for outdoor recreation, hunting, angling, and beyond. Centering 

this effort on people also means recognizing the oversized contributions that farmers, ranchers, 

forest owners, fishers, hunters, rural communities, and Tribal Nations already make in safeguarding 

wildlife and open spaces for the benefit of the rest of the country, and therefore recognizing and 

encouraging these remarkable efforts.

Principle 3: Support Locally Led and Locally Designed Conservation 

Efforts

Every community in the United States has its own relationship with nearby lands and waters, and 

every community is working in some way to conserve the places that matter the most to it. The 

Federal Government should do all it can to help local communities achieve their own conservation 

priorities and vision. Locally and regionally designed approaches can play a key role in conserving 

resources and be tailored to meet the priorities and needs of local communities and the nation.

Conservation and restoration efforts should also be regionally balanced. For example, instead of 

focusing land conservation efforts primarily on western public lands—as has been a past practice of 

Federal agencies—agencies should support collaborative conservation efforts across the country on 

private, State, local, Tribal, and territorial lands. Similarly, marine conservation efforts should 

reflect regional priorities and seek to achieve balanced stewardship across U.S. ocean areas.

Principle 4: Honor Tribal Sovereignty and Support the Priorities of 

Tribal Nations

Tribal Nations have sovereign authority over their lands and waters, possess long-standing treaty 

hunting and fishing rights on and off reservations, and have many cultural, natural, and sacred sites 

on national public lands and the ocean. Efforts to conserve and restore America’s lands and waters 

must involve regular, meaningful, and robust consultation with Tribal Nations. These efforts must

respect and honor Tribal sovereignty, treaty and subsistence rights, and freedom of religious 

practices. Federal agencies should seek to support and help advance the priorities of American 

Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Indigenous leaders, including those related to 

sustainable land management and the conservation of natural, cultural, and historical resources.
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Principle 5: Pursue Conservation and Restoration Approaches that 

Create Jobs and Support Healthy Communities

Conserving and restoring the nation’s lands and waters can yield immense economic benefits.26 A 

healthy ocean, for example, supports productive fisheries and vibrant working waterfronts. 

Reducing wildfire risks and restoring ecological balance to the nation’s forests creates jobs in rural 

communities. Conserving water and restoring ecosystems supports the reliability of the water 

supply, resiliency to drought, and resistance to flooding. Conserving fish and wildlife habitat and 

improving access for hunting and fishing spurs the sale of gear, boats, travel, and outfitting.

Creating more parks and tree cover in cities cools neighborhoods on dangerously hot days, saves 

money on utility bills, and improves human health and well-being. These are among the many ways 

that a locally driven, nationally scaled conservation campaign over the next decade can help lift 

America’s economy, address environmental justice, and improve quality of life.

Principle 6: Honor Private Property Rights and Support the 

Voluntary Stewardship Efforts of Private Landowners and Fishers

There is a strong stewardship ethic among America’s fishers, farmers, ranchers, forest owners, and 

other private landowners. U.S. working lands and waters give our nation food and fiber and keep 

rural and coastal communities healthy and prosperous. They are also integral to conserving 

functioning habitats and connecting lands and waters across the country. Efforts to conserve and 

restore America’s lands and waters must respect the rights of private property owners. Such efforts 

must also build trust among all communities and stakeholders, including by recognizing and 

rewarding the voluntary conservation efforts of private landowners and the science-based 

approaches of fishery managers. President Biden has recognized and honored the leadership role 

that farmers, ranchers, forest owners, and fishers already play in the conservation of the nation’s 

lands, waters, and wildlife, and has made clear that his administration will support voluntary

stewardship efforts that are already underway across the country’s lands and waters. This 

commitment includes a clear recognition that maintaining ranching in the West—on both public 

lands and private lands—is essential to maintaining the health of wildlife, the prosperity of local 

economies, and an important and proud way of life.

Principle 7: Use Science as a Guide

Scientists have made remarkable gains in understanding the complicated natural systems that 

support human communities, particularly in the face of climate change. Studies of the carbon 

sequestration potential of lands and the ocean; of biodiversity loss, ecosystem services, and the 

movement and migration of wildlife; and of air and water pollution are part of a large and growing 

body of scientific information that can help guide decisions about how the nation should manage, 

connect, and conserve its lands and waters. Conservation efforts are more successful and effective 

when rooted in the best available science and informed by the recommendations of top scientists 

and subject matter experts. Transparent and accessible information will increase shared 

understanding and help build trust among stakeholders and the public. The use of Indigenous and 

Traditional Ecological Knowledge can complement and integrate these efforts.
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Principle 8: Build on Existing Tools and Strategies with an Emphasis 

on Flexibility and Adaptive Approaches

The U.S. has long been a global innovator in natural resource conservation and stewardship, from 

inventing the idea of national parks to forging market-based strategies for slowing the loss of the 

nation’s essential wetlands. Though President Biden’s national conservation goal is ambitious, it 

can be achieved using the wide array of existing tools and strategies that Tribal Nations, territories, 

State and local governments, private landowners, non-profit organizations, fishing communities,

Congress, and Federal agencies have already developed and deployed effectively. These tools range 

from grant programs for local parks and coastal restoration projects, to conservation programs on

working lands, to the designation of locally crafted recreation and conservation areas on public 

lands and waters, to using the stakeholder-driven processes for marine fisheries management and 

sanctuary designations, among other examples. Agencies should support the flexible application of 

tools, innovation in designing new approaches, and, where appropriate, the use of adaptive 

management to help adjust to a changing climate, shifting pressures, and new science.

Measuring Progress for Nature and People

Executive Order 14008 sets a goal of conserving 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 and 

directs DOI, in coordination with other agencies, to establish mechanisms to measure progress.27

Each year, the Secretary of the Interior is to provide reports to the National Climate Task Force with 

updates on this progress.

This discussion should start with a recognition that, at its core, President Biden’s conservation 

vision is about doing better for people, for fish and wildlife, and for the planet. There is 

no single metric—including a percentage target—that could fully measure progress toward the 

fulfillment of those interrelated goals. Similarly, there is no single database that could capture 

the texture and nuance of the economic and social values of every restoration or conservation 

action.

With these caveats, transparent and measurable goals for conservation can be a helpful tool to set a 

baseline, understand overall trends, and catalyze the collective action across the country that is 

needed to address the urgency of the climate and biodiversity crises.

The question of what should “count” came up regularly in the early listening sessions, followed by 

various perspectives on how to define conservation on the land and in the ocean. Many 

stakeholders recommended that a continuum of effective conservation measures be acknowledged, 

departing from stricter definitions of “protection” that do not recognize the co-benefits 

that working lands or areas managed for multiple use may offer. Other feedback encouraged the 

administration to focus on the quality and durability of conservation outcomes, noting that not 

every parcel of land or water is equal when it comes to enhancing nature’s contributions to 

people, ecosystem health, biodiversity, or the sequestration of carbon.

In light of the above, this report recommends that the U.S. Government take two complementary 

steps to measure and report upon conservation progress in the United States: the creation of an 
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American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas that collects baseline information on the amount and 

types of lands and waters that are being managed for conservation and restoration purposes, and 

the publication of annual America the Beautiful updates on the health of nature in America and on 

the Federal Government’s efforts to support locally led conservation and restoration efforts.

American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas

To develop and track a clear baseline of information on lands and waters that have already been 

conserved or restored, the U.S. Government should establish an interagency working group of 

experts to build an American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas. The Atlas would be an 

accessible, updated, and comprehensive tool through which to measure the progress of 

conservation, stewardship, and restoration efforts across the United States in a manner 

that reflects the goals and principles outlined in this report.

The interagency working group—led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Natural Resources 

Conservation Service (NRCS), and NOAA, in partnership with the Council on Environmental 

Quality, and other land and ocean management agencies at the Departments of 

Agriculture, Commerce, and the Interior—would be tasked with gathering input from the public,

States, Tribal Nations, a wide range of stakeholders, and scientists to assess existing databases, and 

to develop an inclusive, collaborative approach to capture and reflect conservation and restoration

of lands and waters. The group, for example, could consider how to reflect State- and countypresented information, how to capture conservation outcomes on multiple use lands and ocean 

areas, and how to protect the privacy of landowners, and sensitive or proprietary information.

The U.S. Government has existing tools to draw from in developing the American Conservation and 

Stewardship Atlas, including USDA’s Natural Resources Inventory and Forest Inventory and 

Analysis programs, the USGS’s Protected Area Database (PAD), and NOAA’s Restoration Atlas and 

Marine Protected Areas Inventory, among many others, but they should be refined, coordinated, 

and supplemented to better reflect the state of conservation in America. For example, the PAD 

contains useful, but incomplete, information about the conservation status of Federal, State, and 

local government lands and private lands subject to conservation easements.28 It is an aggregated 

database built through contributions from States and partners throughout the nation; however, the 

PAD does not, for example, currently include information about the conservation strategies of 

Tribal Nations, and many other effective conservation tools that farmers, ranchers, and other 

private landowners are deploying to conserve the health of working lands.

The American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas would aggregate information from these 

databases and others, supplement this information with information from the States, Tribes, public, 

stakeholders, and scientists, and provide a baseline assessment of how much land, ocean, and other 

waters in the U.S. are currently conserved or restored, including, but not necessarily limited to:

• The contributions of farmers, ranchers, forest owners, and private landowners through 

effective and voluntary conservation measures;

• The contributions of Fishery Management Councils and their conservation measures under the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act; and

• The existing protections and designations on lands and waters across Federal, State, local, 

Tribal, and private lands and waters across the nation.
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America the Beautiful Updates

To provide clear updates on the progress being made to support conservation and restoration 

efforts across the country, the Department of the Interior, in coordination with the Department of 

Agriculture, the Department of Commerce through NOAA, and the Council on Environmental 

Quality, should publish an annual, publicly available America the Beautiful report.

The first report, to be public by the end of 2021, should include:

• Progress on the areas of collaboration outlined in the next section of this report;

• An assessment of land-cover changes, including loss of open space; and

• A review of the condition of fish and wildlife habitats and populations.

Together and apart, the American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas and the America the 

Beautiful updates will provide a more comprehensive and inclusive accounting for the state 

of lands, waters, and wildlife in America, as well as document how local, State, national, and 

Tribal governments; private landowners; and other partners are working to conserve and restore 

lands and waters.

Recommendations for Early Focus and 

Progress in the America the Beautiful 

Campaign

There are hundreds of locally supported conservation and restoration efforts already underway in 

communities across America—in line with the principles and vision outlined above—that can be 

advanced over the coming decade to strengthen our economy, fight climate change, address

environmental injustice, and improve outcomes for fish, wildlife, and people. Above all else, a 

national campaign to conserve and restore America the Beautiful should celebrate, leverage and 

enhance all of this remarkable work, and seek to inspire others with stories of on-the-ground 

collaborations and successes.

To better support and encourage locally led conservation and restoration efforts across the 

country, however, it will be important for Federal agencies to identify areas of priority and focus for 

investment and collaboration. This report identifies six recommended areas of early focus for the 

Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to conserve and restore America the Beautiful. These areas of 

focus are intended to forge common purpose, support voluntary approaches to conservation, and 

reflect early inputs and ideas that elected officials, Tribal leaders, and stakeholders have lifted up as 

opportunities for successful collaboration. These recommendations are preliminary and not 

exhaustive. Additionally, this section primarily focuses on work that Federal agencies can do to 

encourage and advance locally supported conservation efforts across the nation. A successful effort 

will require a blend of innovative and lasting conservation work across Federal, State, local, private 

and Tribal lands and waters.

• Create More Parks and Safe Outdoor Opportunities in Nature-Deprived Communities. The 

Biden-Harris administration has made a historic commitment to ensure that 40 percent of the 
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overall benefits from relevant Federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities.29 In 

that spirit, the America the Beautiful campaign should support locally led conservation and 

park projects in communities that disproportionately lack access to nature and its benefits.

The Great American Outdoors Act, which Congress passed in 2020 on a bipartisan basis, could 

be among the tools used to address environmental injustice. The law provides dedicated annual 

funding for parks and open space projects across the country, including through Land and 

Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) programs, such as the Outdoor Recreation Legacy 

Partnership (ORLP). The National Park Service, in particular, should strengthen and expand the 

ORLP program, which focuses on creating new parks and access to nature in historically 

underserved communities.

• Support Tribally Led Conservation and Restoration Priorities. Tribal governments have 

often struggled to access Federal funding and assistance to support their conservation efforts, 

either because they are not written into legislation that authorizes key Federal programs, or 

because they may not have capacity to navigate the bureaucracy to participate in the programs 

for which they are eligible. Federal agencies should review their most successful conservation 

programs, such as the LWCF and the National Marine Sanctuaries nominations process, to 

determine how to better include and support Tribal governments. This may include working 

with Congress to revise underlying statutes, or developing technical assistance and capacitybuilding grants to support Indigenous-led conservation efforts. 

Additionally, Federal agencies should take steps to improve engagement with American 

Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians on the care and management of public lands and 

waters, particularly regarding sacred and ceremonial sites, and trust and treaty rights. The 

Biden-Harris administration has committed to engaging in regular, meaningful, and robust 

consultation with Tribal Nations; this must include land management planning and relevant 

decision-making for public lands and waters.30

Finally, the Federal Government should prioritize restoring Tribal homelands by improving the

land into trust process. Tribes have time and time again proven to be the most effective 

stewards of natural resources.31

• Expand Collaborative Conservation of Fish and Wildlife Habitats and Corridors. Federal 

agencies should take several broadly supported steps to stem the decline of fish and wildlife 

populations and their habitats throughout the country. First, agencies can work with States, 

Tribes, local communities, and private landowners to establish and expand upon promising 

initiatives to conserve and restore wildlife migration corridors through incentives and local 

collaboration. The Trump administration launched a promising effort to enhance the winter 

range and migration corridor habitat of elk, deer, and pronghorn on DOI-managed lands.32 This 

initiative could be expanded to include other land managers, to build partnerships with 

working ranches and other landowners, and to conserve corridors and seasonal ranges for 

other species.

Second, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) should expand conservation efforts already 

identified through partnerships with external stakeholders, including fish passage projects in 

the National Fish Habitat Action Plan, conservation of at-risk species identified in State Wildlife 

Action Plans, and bird habitat conservation through the Migratory Bird Joint Ventures. FWS 

should also work with States, local communities, and others to explore where there is support 
CONSERVING AND RESTORING AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

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to enhance the National Wildlife Refuge System, which provides important anchors for wildlife 

conservation throughout the nation. The Biden-Harris administration welcomes Congressional 

efforts to support on-the-ground habitat restoration for at-risk species through collaboration 

with State fish and wildlife agencies.

Third, NOAA should expand the National Marine Sanctuaries System and National Estuarine 

Research Reserve System. Through broad public engagement, NOAA can establish national 

marine sanctuaries that protect natural and cultural marine and Great Lakes resources and 

promote sustainable uses. The process to establish new national marine sanctuaries and 

accompanying management plans has already begun for sites in Wisconsin and New York, and 

several other sites have been nominated for potential future designation.33 Similarly, under 

authorities provided by the Coastal Zone Management Act, NOAA is exploring new designations 

for national estuarine research reserves in Connecticut, Wisconsin, and Louisiana.34 If 

approved, they would join a network of coastal sites managed in partnership with coastal states 

and local partners for the protection and research of estuarine systems. In addition, NOAA’s 

Restoration Center should expand its work to conserve and restore habitats—like wetlands, 

rivers, and coral reefs—to boost fish populations, recover threatened and endangered species, 

and support resilient coastal communities.35

Finally, the United States boasts one of the most dynamic and innovative wild-capture fishery 

management systems in the world under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 

Management Act and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act. The management measures that 

are available to fisheries management authorities, such as gear-based restrictions and habitatbased measures, could be applied to achieve improved conservation outcomes that benefit the 

health of fisheries as well as other marine species and habitats. NOAA should work closely with 

regional fishery management councils to identify areas or networks of areas where their 

fisheries management efforts would support long-term conservation goals. 

• Increase Access for Outdoor Recreation. Additional conservation can and should improve 

access for hunting, fishing, hiking, boating, and other forms of outdoor recreation. Improved 

access to public lands and waters—in an equitable, well-managed and sustainable manner—

can broaden and deepen connections to nature and its benefits, and encourage the next 

generation of outdoor stewards. Hunters, anglers, and other outdoor enthusiasts have not only 

played a positive role in stewarding our nation’s lands, waters, and wildlife, but they also 

generate significant economic benefits to local communities.

Federal land and coastal management agencies should expand support for voluntary programs 

that unlock access to the millions of acres of public lands that are currently inaccessible to the 

public.36 The administration should also prioritize management planning that identifies lands 

and waters that are appropriate to be conserved and managed for outdoor recreation. In the 

ocean, ongoing mapping efforts will be important to managing for sustainable uses and should 

be continued.

Finally, the Biden-Harris administration welcomes efforts in Congress to support outdoor 

recreation, including appropriate designations to improve conservation and appreciation of

lands and waters.
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• Incentivize and Reward the Voluntary Conservation Efforts of Fishers, Ranchers, 

Farmers, and Forest Owners. Federal agencies can and should advance conservation by

supporting programs that incentivize voluntary conservation efforts and provide new sources 

of income for American farmers, ranchers, and forest stewards. Healthy rural economies are a 

key component of keeping working lands healthy, productive, and whole.

The USDA has an array of programs that offer effective strategies for advancing conservation on 

working lands, such as the Working Lands for Wildlife initiative and the Conservation Reserve 

Program. The reauthorization of the Farm Bill in 2023 provides a tremendous opportunity for 

the USDA and Congress to improve the effectiveness of relevant programs to conserve working 

lands.

Similarly, the FWS should enhance support for voluntary conservation efforts by private 

landowners through initiatives such as Conservation Without Conflict, tools such as species 

credit trading (conservation banking) and Candidate Conservation Agreements with 

Assurances, and the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program.

NOAA should continue its Species in the Spotlight initiative to provide immediate, targeted 

efforts to halt declines and stabilize populations of the species most at-risk of extinction in the 

near future, which could increase public awareness, marshal resources, and focus conservation 

actions, including through voluntary measures and public-private partnerships.

• Create Jobs by Investing in Restoration and Resilience. The Biden-Harris administration, 

through the American Jobs Plan, has proposed bold investments to restore our nation’s lands, 

forests, wetlands, watersheds, and freshwater, coastal and ocean resources. The proposal 

includes putting a new, diverse generation of Americans to work through a Civilian Climate 

Corps that can help conserve and restore public lands and waters. The investments in 

restoration, reforestation, reclamation, and other activities that improve the function and form 

of our natural systems—from the Everglades and the Great Lakes to the Chesapeake Bay—will 

not only bolster our nation’s resilience to extreme wildfires, sea level rise, droughts, storms, 

and other climate impacts, but they will also create a new pathway to good-paying union jobs 

and provide economic benefits to communities across the nation.

Finally, and importantly, all of these recommendations should serve as a starting point for

additional public input and conversations to inform the nation’s progress toward the President’s 

goal for conservation over the next decade. Federal agencies should establish formal and informal 

venues by which Tribes, States, territories, stakeholders, and the American public can shape and 

advance these efforts. In addition to Tribal consultations and opportunities for public comment, the 

Biden-Harris administration should explore the formation of advisory councils, Federal-State and 

Federal-Tribal working groups, and other ways to engage stakeholders and the public.

Conclusion

President Biden’s direction in E.O. 14008 to establish and pursue a national conservation goal over 

the next decade is a challenge that America is well-equipped to meet. America has had tremendous 

success in forging solutions to environmental problems and experience in harnessing and 

conserving the bounties of the natural world. The forests, rivers, coasts, deserts, mountains, and 

grasslands that previous generations have passed down are living testaments to the nation’s 
CONSERVING AND RESTORING AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

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collective capacity to safeguard the resources that not only power our prosperity but bind us as one 

people.

An America the Beautiful campaign—community-led and nationally scaled—is a fitting and needed 

response to the challenges of this moment. While the coronavirus pandemic inflicted tragedy, grief, 

and pain, the natural world offered peace, escape, and hope for many. Now, as the nation recovers 

and rebuilds, it is time to do right by the lands and waters that sustain every community in every 

part of the country: returning American wildlife to abundance; safeguarding the health and 

productivity of the nation’s working lands and waters; giving every child the chance to play and 

explore in a safe, close-to-home park; honoring and supporting the natural and cultural resource 

priorities of Tribal Nations; and far more.

The President’s goal of conserving 30 percent of America’s lands and waters by 2030 is more than a 

number—it is a challenge to build on the nation’s best conservation traditions, to be faithful to 

principles that reflect the country’s values, and to improve the quality of Americans’ lives—now 

and for decades to come.
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Endnotes

1 Bureau of Economic Analysis, “Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account, U.S. and States, 2019,” 2019, available at 

https://www.bea.gov/data/special-topics/outdoorrecreation#:~:text=The%20new%20U.S.%20data%20show,to%201.3%20percent%20in%20Connecticut. 2 Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, “The Global Assessment Report on 

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services,” 2019, available at https://ipbes.net/sites/default/files/2020-

02/ipbes_global_assessment_report_summary_for_policymakers_en.pdf; G. Ceballos and others, “Vertebrates on the brink 

as indicators of biological annihilation and the sixth mass extinction,” Proceedings on the National Academy of Sciences, 

2020, available at https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/117/24/13596.full.pdf. 3 B. Stein and others, “Reversing America’s Wildlife Crisis: Securing the Future of Our Fish and Wildlife,” 2018, available at 

https://www.nwf.org/-/media/Documents/PDFs/NWF-Reports/2018/Reversing-Americas-Wildlife-Crisis_2018.ash. 4 J. Reilly and others, “Crop production in the USA is frequently limited by a lack of pollinators,” Proceedings of the Royal 

Society, 2020, available at https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2020.0922. 5 K. Rosenberg and others, “Decline of the North American avifauna,” Science, 2019, available at 

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6461/120. 6 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “Restoring Seven Iconic Reefs: A Mission to Recover the Coral Reefs 

of the Florida Keys,” last accessed April 2021, available at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/habitatconservation/restoring-seven-iconic-reefs-mission-recover-coral-reefs-florida-keys; L. Rogers-Bennett & C.A. Catton, 

“Marine heat waves and multiple stressors tip bull kelp forest to sea urchin barrens,” Scientific Reports, 2019, available at 

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-51114-y. 7 J. Freedgood and others, “Farms Under Threat: The State of the States,” 2020, available at https://s30428.pcdn.co/wpcontent/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/AFT_FUT_StateoftheStates_rev.pdf. 8 Fourth National Climate Assessment, “Oceans,” 2018, available at https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/chapter/8/. 9 Ibid.

10 Fourth National Climate Assessment, “Land,” 2018, available at https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/chapter/5/; Fourth 

National Climate Assessment, “Forests,” 2018, available at https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/chapter/6/. 11 Fourth National Climate Assessment, “Ecosystems, Ecosystem Services, and Biodiversity,” 2018, available at

https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/chapter/7/. 12 D. Theobald and others, “Summary and metadata for an environmental justice analysis using data from The 

Disappearing West,” 2016, available at https://www.csp-inc.org/public/CSP-CAP_Env_Justice_Report_20160727.pdf. 13 J. Larsen and others, “A Just Green Recovery,” 2020, available at https://rhg.com/research/a-just-green-recovery/. 14 The Trust for Public Land, “10-minute Walk,” last accessed April 2021, available at https://www.tpl.org/parkscore. 15 White House Briefing Room, “Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,” 2021, available at 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackling-theclimate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad/. 16 Ibid. 17 Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, “The Global Assessment Report on 

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services,” 2019, available at https://ipbes.net/sites/default/files/2020-

02/ipbes_global_assessment_report_summary_for_policymakers_en.pdf; E. Dinerstein and others, “A Global Deal for 

Nature: Guiding principles, milestones, and targets,” Science Advances, 2019, available at 

https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/4/eaaw2869; E. Dinerstein and others, “A ‘Global Safety Net’ to reverse 

biodiversity loss and stabilize Earth’s climate,” Science Advances, 2020, available at 

https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/36/eabb2824. 18 J. Watson and others, “Protect the last of the wild,” Nature, 2018, available at 

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07183-6. 19 White House Briefing Room, “Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,” 2021, available at 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackling-theclimate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad/. 20 Ibid. 21 California Office of the Governor, “Executive Order N-82-20,” 2020, available at https://www.gov.ca.gov/wpcontent/uploads/2020/10/10.07.2020-EO-N-82-20-.pdf. 22 Maine Climate Council, “Maine Won’t Wait: A four-year plan for climate action,” 2020, available at

https://www.maine.gov/future/sites/maine.gov.future/files/inline-files/MaineWontWait_December2020.pdf.
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23 Hawai’i Office of the Governor, “Sustainable Hawai’i Initiative,” 2016, available at https://governor.hawaii.gov/wpcontent/uploads/2017/01/Sustainable-Hawai27i-Initiative-Brochure.pdf; State of Hawai’i Division of Aquatic 

Resources, “Marine 30x30,” last accessed April 2021, available at https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dar/30x30/; State of Hawai’i 

Division of Forestry and Wildlife, “Freshwater Replenishment,” last accessed April 2021, available at 

https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/forestry/frs/initiatives/freshwater-replenishment/. 24 National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, “30x30 Land and Water Conservation,” last accessed April 2021, 

available at https://www.ncel.net/30x30 and 

https://www.quorum.us/spreadsheet/external/dkoFGctXMFhoAyzHvRVR/. 25 “Mayors Support 30x30: Protecting 30% of America’s Land and Ocean by 2030,” 2021, available at 

https://www.lcv.org/article/letter-mayors-nationwide-support-protecting-30-of-americas-land-and-water-by-2030/. 26 Fourth National Climate Assessment, “Volume II: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States,” 2018, available at 

https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/. 27 White House Briefing Room, “Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,” 2021, available at 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackling-theclimate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad/. 28 U.S. Geological Survey, “PAD-US Data Overview,” last accessed April 2021, available at https://www.usgs.gov/corescience-systems/science-analytics-and-synthesis/gap/science/pad-us-data-overview. 29 White House Briefing Room, “Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,” 2021, available at 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackling-theclimate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad/. 30 White House Briefing Room, “Memorandum on Tribal Consultation and Strengthening Nation-to-Nation Relationships,”

2021, available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/26/memorandum-ontribal-consultation-and-strengthening-nation-to-nation-relationships/. 31 Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, “The Global Assessment Report on 

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services,” 2019, available at https://ipbes.net/sites/default/files/2020-

02/ipbes_global_assessment_report_summary_for_policymakers_en.pdf. 32 U.S. Department of the Interior, “Order No. 3362: Improving Habitat Quality in Western Big-Game Winter Range and 

Migration Corridors,” 2018, available at https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/elips/documents/3362_-

_improving_habitat_quality_in_wester_big-game_winter_range_and_migration_corridors.pdf. 33 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, “National Marine Sanctuaries: Sanctuary Nomination Process,” last 

accessed April 2021, available at https://nominate.noaa.gov/nominations/. 34 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “Office of Coastal Management National Estuarine Research 

Reserves: Designation Process,” last accessed April 2021, available at https://coast.noaa.gov/nerrs/about/designationprocess.html. 35 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “Habitat Conservation: How We Restore,” last accessed April 2021, 

available at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/habitat-conservation#how-we-restore/. 36 onX and Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partners, “The South’s Landlocked Public Lands: Untapped Hunting and 

Fishing Opportunities in Florida, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Tennessee,” 2020, available at https://www.trcp.org/wpcontent/uploads/2020/10/Final_TRCP_South_Report_Booklet.pdf; onX and Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partners, 

“The Mid-Atlantic’s Landlocked Public Lands: Untapped Hunting and Fishing Opportunities in New York, Pennsylvania, 

and New Jersey,” 2020, available at https://www.trcp.org/wpcontent/uploads/2020/09/091620_TRCP_MidAtlantic_Report_Booklet-1.pdf; onX and Theodore Roosevelt Conservation 

Partners, “The Upper Midwest’s Landlocked Public Lands: Untapped Hunting and Fishing Opportunities in Minnesota and 

Wisconsin,” 2020, available at https://www.trcp.org/wpcontent/uploads/2020/08/080420_TRCP_Minnesota_Wisconsin_Report_R8-1.pdf.