Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Haaland took a large contingency of DOI agency heads to the COP26 summit to participate in the international forum earlier this month. Land managers from across the globe signed the “Protected and Conserved Areas Joint Statement.” These included the five United States agencies of the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Fish & Wildlife Service, and Forest Service.
The Joint Statement affirms that these agencies commit to protect the lands under their jurisdiction as a part of the international 30 x 30 goal. Item 13 of the document reads:
“These global and yet local and personal aspects of our Protected and Conserved Areas allow us to play a transformative role in addressing the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. Our family of Protected and Conserved Areas are the foundations that 30×30 will build on.”
Item 10 finds the following:
“Over 70 countries are members of the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People that champions a global deal for nature and people with the central goal of protecting at least 30 percent of world’s land and ocean by 2030 (30×30). The 30×30 target is a global target which aims to halt the accelerating loss of species, and protect vital ecosystems that are the source of our economic security.”
The Department of Interior press release issued November 5, 2021, confirms that this newly signed international statement agrees with the goals of President Biden’s “America the Beautiful” report: “The Joint Statement aligns with the Biden-Harris administration’s America the Beautiful initiative, which outlines a vision for how the U.S. can work collaboratively to conserve and restore the lands, waters, and wildlife that support and sustain the nation.”
Notably, the international document the agency director’s signed does not call to “conserve and restore,” but instead to “protect and conserve,” lands. To date, the Biden Administration has refused to define the difference. However, they do want the American people to know that this initiative is “locally driven,” even though the policy is rooted in an internationally proposed land grab.
