California nears ‘30×30′ conservation goal
Four years after unveiling an ambitious plan to conserve 30% of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030, state officials on Monday announced that they are closing in on that target. … California also made progress toward the goal through its first-ever ancestral land return effort, which provided $100 million in grant funding for the return of roughly 38,950 acres to Indigenous communities. Among the recipients were the Hoopa Valley Tribe, which received funding to help reacquire about 10,300 acres of their lands in the Klamath River watershed that were formerly being managed by a timber trust. … Additionally, the state’s effort to transform more than half of its 100 million acres into multi-benefit landscapes that can absorb carbon and combat climate change will help reach the 30×30 goal, officials said. Those targets, known as nature-based solutions, include millions of acres that will be managed to reduce wildfire risk, protect water supplies and enhance biodiversity, among other outcomes.