On May 6, 2021, the Biden-Harris Administration released a report with recommendations related to their goal to conserve 30% of U.S. (private and public) lands and waters by 2030.  This “30 by 30” conservation goal was announced earlier this year by the Biden-Harris Administration in Executive Order 14008, Tracking the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.  Recommendations in the report include:

1. Create more parks for so-called “disadvantaged communities,” e.g., through creating new parks (or minorities?) as a part of the National Park Service.
2. Support Indian tribal-led conservation efforts, including giving Indian tribes outsize influence over other members of the public by granting “robust consultation” with Indian tribes during land management planning and decision-making for public lands and waters.
3. Expand conservation efforts for fish and wildlife, in particular, limiting public use for wildlife migration corridors and “at-risk species.”
4. Increase access to outdoor recreation, e.g., through management planning and supporting Congressional action related to outdoor recreation.
5. Incentivize voluntary conservation efforts.
6. Invest in restoration of private and public land and water to improve the form and function of natural systems.

The report provides little detail and no discussion on timelines associated with implementing the recommendations.  Further, the report provides no substantive discussion on how the Administration plans to implement the recommendations to achieve the 30 by 30 conservation goal.  From a practical perspective, however, any effort to conserve 30 percent of U.S. land and water would likely involve conservation on significant amounts of federal land, which is inconsistent with past U.S. policy, but consistent with the Administration’s other efforts to limit development and economic use of federal lands.

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