On October 7, 2020, Governor Newsom signed Executive Order N-82-20 (“Executive Order”), which provided several measures to conserve the State’s biodiversity and to combat climate change. More specifically, the Executive Order directed the California Natural Resources Agency, in consultation with other state agencies, to establish the California Biodiversity Collaborative, to bring together governmental partners, California Native American tribes, experts, business and community leaders, and other stakeholders from across the state to protect and restore the State’s biodiversity. The Executive Order then directed state agencies to consult with the California Biodiversity Collaborative to highlight opportunities for additional action to preserve and enhance biodiversity, track and protect biodiversity and natural resources, and advance approaches that protect and restore biodiversity.

Additionally, in an effort to advance the conservation of biodiversity, the Executive Order directed the California Natural Resources Agency to prioritize investments that promote biodiversity protection, habitat restoration, wildfire-resiliency, sustainably managed landscapes, and other conservation outcomes. The Executive Order further directed the California Natural Resources Agency to implement actions to increase the pace and scale of environmental restoration and land management efforts by streamlining the State’s process to approve and facilitate these projects.

Most notably, the Executive Order declared that the State’s goal is to conserve at least 30 percent of California’s land and coastal waters by 2030. To further this goal, the Executive Order directed the California Resources Agency and other relevant state agencies, in consultation with the California Biodiversity Collaborative, to develop and report strategies to the Governor no later than February 1, 2022. Such strategies must protect and restore biodiversity and enable enduring conservation measures on a broad range of landscapes, among other things. A copy of the Executive Order can be found HERE.