The Great Central Valley is Key to 30 by 30 Success

Keys to unlocking improved access to nature, water quality, biodiversity and climate resilience in the heart of California

Introduction

The planet is losing biodiversity faster than any time in human history and increasing pressure from land use decisions and climate change impacts is only exacerbating the problem. Biodiversity underpins ecosystem function and healthy ecosystems are what support all life - including ours.

To stem the loss of biodiversity, on October 7, 2020, Governor Newsom signed an Executive Order (N-82-80) aligning California with 38 countries to support the global effort to achieve conservation of 30 percent of the planet by 2030 – the 30 by 30 initiative.

Then, on May 6, 2021, the Biden-Harris administration released a federal vision – the “America the Beautiful” initiative which outlined a locally led and voluntary nationwide conservation goal to conserve 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.

In California, the Natural Resources Agency is charged with developing a unified approach to conserving biodiversity and promoting climate resilience.

The two primary efforts are the Pathways to 30x30 strategy and the Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy.

These complementary efforts aim to use nature-based solutions to address climate change and promote biodiversity, while advancing equitable access to parks and nature's multiple benefits, through the conservation of California’s lands and waters.

The Central Valley will play a key role in the successful implementation of both strategies.

Why the Central Valley:

Create land protections and increase biodiversity in California's least protected region.

Create more equitable access to nature in a region with the lowest access to parks and open spaces.

Ease the disproportionate pollution burden and environmental impacts on Central Valley communities.

Improve water quality.

Preserve and improve critical migratory bird habitats.

Leverage projected land use change to protect and enhance biodiversity while supporting land owners and communities.

How Do We Get There:

Supporting Indigenous stewardship of Central Valley lands and waters.

Expanding state and federal wildlife refuges.

Improving management of existing state and federal wildlife refuges.

Creating new regional and county parks.

Creating long-term solutions on agricultural lands.

Investing in multiple-benefit flood safety projects.

Create new habitat from San Joaquin Valley's agricultural land retirement.

Promoting wildlife friendly recharge basins.

California’s Great Central Valley is among the most transformed landscapes in the state and country.

It was once a dynamic mosaic of wetlands, oak woodlands, rivers, lakes, grasslands, and scrublands. It is now the nation’s most important agricultural region.

Over 250 crops are grown there, worth an estimated value of $17 billion per year.

The transformation to agriculture and rapidly growing cities has resulted in the near complete loss of the Central Valley's natural ecosystems, various species, and the benefits they provide.

It is because of such massive transformation, not despite it, that the Great Central Valley should be among the highest priorities for the 30 by 30 and the natural and working lands strategies.

Conservation initiatives such as ecological restoration and conservation agriculture have the greatest potential to return the most benefits per investment for people and the environment.

What follows provides a rationale and highlights:

Why the Central Valley should be highly prioritized.

Examples of where to prioritize conservation activities.

Existing and emerging strategies for conservation that will benefit all life in California and beyond.

Why the Central Valley?

Because there are incredible opportunities to:

1. Create land protections and increase biodiversity in California's least protected region

2. Create more equitable access to nature in a region with the lowest access to parks and open space

3. Ease the disproportionate pollution burden and environmental impacts on Central Valley communities

4. Improve water quality

5. Preserve and improve critical migratory bird habitats

6. Leverage projected land use change to protect and enhance biodiversity while supporting land owners and communities

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The Central Valley is the fastest growing and least protected region in the state

Protected lands here are defined by the following data sources and include lands set aside for species, habitat, and biodiversity conservation as well as lands protected for open space and military managed lands. Data sources: California Protected Areas Database, California Conservation Easements Database, Military Installations, Ranges and Training Areas Database

California’s population is expected to grow to 44 million people by 2030 and 12 of 20 Central Valley counties will have the largest projected population growth.

It is paramount that we protect key parts of the landscape now prior to development as part of climate-smart growth.

Central Valley residents have the lowest access to parks and open space

Access to parks and open space provide numerous benefits for human and community health:

Low cost or free opportunities for physical activity.

Supporting mental health.

Lessening chronic diseases.

Building a sense of community and belonging.

Resilience to climate stressors.

Increased local biodiversity benefits.

Rural and Urban Communities in the Central Valley are impacted the most by environmental issues

Communities in the Central Valley face unique environmental challenges because they have:

Some of America’s worst air quality, contributing to high rates of asthma in children.

Unsafe, unaffordable or unreliable drinking water for up to 1 million people.

Increasing impacts from climate change such as excessive heat.

Pollution from urban and agricultural activities associated with conversion of native habitats.

These impacts are particularly acute in the San Joaquin Valley

The San Joaquin Valley is home to 5 of the 10 counties with the worst air quality in the U.S.

For such a large region to be so disproportionately exposed to environmental impacts presents an opportunity to create environmental improvements that support the health of communities.

California's Central Valley provides some of the nation's greatest potential to improve water quality through Nitrogen removal by wetlands

*Data from and map adapted from Cheng et al. 2020*

Wetlands in California's Central Valley are imperiled.

Less than 10% of Central Valley wetlands remain.

Protection and restoration of these wetlands are key to improving water quality.

Wetland protection and restoration in California’s Central Valley is a national priority for water quality improvements

Wetland management and restoration in the Central Valley provides significant opportunities to improve water quality and reduce human-driven Nitrogen levels in water bodies.

Too much Nitrogen in water can lead to toxic algae outbreaks, fish deaths and cause serious illnesses in people, including reducing the body's ability to transport Oxygen and causing certain cancers.

Protection and restoration of wetlands in the Central Valley could support a meaningful improvement in water quality for wildlife and human communities.

Protection and restoration in the Central Valley is needed to conserve migratory shorebirds and waterfowl

*Data source: Stralberg et al. 2011, Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network*

The Central Valley has long been known as a region of outsized importance for migratory waterbirds, such as shorebirds and waterfowl.

10 million ducks and geese and a half million shorebirds rely on the Central Valley during migration.

*Northern Shoveler, John Phillips/Audubon Photography Awards*

It is critical that we provide enough places for these birds to stop, rest and refuel as part of their journey along the Pacific Flyway.

*Long-billed Curlew, Alice Cahill/Audubon Photography Awards*

The Central Valley is also critical for over 65 million migratory land birds

Numbers in the millions per valley per season. From north to south: Sacramento Valley, Yolo/Delta, San Joaquin, Tulare. Map modified from: DeLuca, W. V., Meehan, T., Seavy, N., Jones, A., Pitt, J., Deppe, J. L. (2021). The Colorado River Delta and California's Central Valley are critical regions for many migrating North American landbirds. Ornithological Applications. 123:1-14. DOI: 10.1093/ornithapp/duaa064. Data sources: *https://ebird.org/science/status-and-trends* *from Cornell Lab of Ornithology and* *http://pif.birdconservancy.org* *, from Bird Conservancy of the Rockies.*

Roughly 65 million land birds in Fall and 48 million in Spring rely on the Central Valley’s riverside forests, grasslands, wetlands and upland habitats.

*Lawrence's Goldfinch, flickr creative commons*

In addition to these massive numbers, the Valley is particularly important for certain species.

59% of Tree Swallows and 80% of Lawrence’s Goldfinches in the world rely on the Central Valley.

The Central Valley Joint Venture is a partnership of 19 non-profit organizations and government agencies.

They have set regional habitat acreage and bird population objectives for seven different bird groups.

These objectives can guide state protection of wetlands in different basins in the Central Valley.

Projections of land use change

*Land use change in developed, idle/barren lands and wetlands, under a low water availability and poor management scenario from Wilson et al. 2021*

The Central Valley is a landscape undergoing rapid change from growing populations, expanding cities, and land use conversion driven by market forces and policies such as the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).

SGMA is a landmark state law passed in 2014 to bring groundwater use to a sustainable level.

500,000 to 1 million acres of land will likely come out of agricultural production in the next 20 to 30 years. This significant challenge also offers an opportunity for the state; opportunities to:

Support land owners and farm workers during this transition.

Protect and restore that land for biodiversity and public access.

How Do We Get There?

Top 8 Conservation Strategies on Natural and Working Lands

Existing and emerging strategies for implementing actions that advance 30 by 30 and the natural and working lands strategies in California’s Central Valley

1. Support Indigenous stewardship of Central Valley lands and waters.

2. Expand state and federal wildlife refuges.

3. Improve management of existing state and federal wildlife refuges.

4. Create new regional and county parks.

5. Create long-term solutions on agricultural lands.

6. Invest in multiple-benefit flood safety projects.

7. Create new habitat from San Joaquin Valley's agricultural land retirement.

8. Promote wildlife friendly recharge basins.

1. Support Indigenous stewardship of Central Valley lands and waters

Central Valley Tribes should be given ownership and/or stewardship of lands and waters in a way that is modeled after Canada’s Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas program, which aims to deliver positive outcomes to:

Biodiversity.

Local livelihoods.

Climate change.

Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

This or a similar strategy would also support Governor Newsom’s “Truth and Healing Policy” and “Native American Ancestral Lands Policy”.

2. Expand state and federal wildlife refuges

The refuge system in the Central Valley is already foundational to the conservation of wildlife, especially migratory birds.

As public lands, refuges have great potential to provide relatively easy access to natural areas for those valley residents who currently lack nearby and affordable access.

Refuge expansion should include ecological restoration which has proven benefits to nature and society.

National Wildlife Refuges can be expanded administratively, increasing protected land and public access.

3. Improve management of existing state and federal wildlife refuges

There are abundant opportunities to make existing refuges better functioning for nature and people.

Delivering full water supply to CVPIA refuges.

Providing sufficient funding for new and ongoing management activities and land acquisition.

Increasing community access.

Completion of water infrastructure projects.

4. Create new regional and county parks

County and regional park systems in many wealthier parts of California are already providing critical biodiversity and climate resilience benefits while also providing local access for hiking, biking, fishing, picnicking, and more.

California should direct resources to counties to:

Invest in the purchase, restoration, and development of regional parks.

Prioritize those counties with under-resourced communities that have the least access to nature.

Co-create parks/regional park systems with the local communities.

5. Create long-term solutions on agricultural lands

Well-managed agriculture can contribute substantially to conservation.

Seasonally flooded agriculture is providing essential surrogate wetlands for migratory waterbirds and habitat for at-risk species such as the giant garter snake.

California should establish an endowment or other long-term mechanism to fund agricultural incentive programs that have validated benefits to:

Biodiversity.

Greenhouse gas reduction.

Environmental justice.

6. Invest in multiple-benefit flood safety projects

Many of California’s Central Valley communities are already at risk from flooding, which is and will continue to be exacerbated by climate change.

Multi-benefit projects reduce flood risk while enhancing fish and wildlife habitat by allowing rivers and floodplains to function more naturally.

California should use proven nature-based solutions to achieve well-documented benefits for nature and society, such as improving management of flood bypasses like the Yolo Bypass.

7. Create new habitat from San Joaquin Valley's agricultural land retirement

Successful implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act will require significant acreage of agricultural lands to come out of production in the San Joaquin Valley.

This creates multiple opportunities:

Strategic restoration for at-risk plants and animals.

Providing access to nature where it is limited.

Projects that promote climate resilience.

There are existing published strategies and policy briefs that can aid in successfully leveraging land retirement for multi-benefit uses (Bryant et al. 2020, Kelsey et al. 2020).

Map adapted from Kelsey et al. 2020, Roadmap to Restoration. Orange areas represent potential strategic restoration areas that leverage land retirement, green areas represent current protected lands.

8. Promote wildlife friendly recharge basins

Recharge basins are emerging as a key strategy to achieve groundwater sustainability required in the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.

If designed and managed properly , not only can these basins recharge groundwater, they can provide multiple benefits:

Improved security and sustainability of groundwater resources.

Habitat for birds and other wildlife.

Improved water quality.

Conservation projects in the Central Valley – be they ecological restoration or conservation agriculture programs – have the greatest potential to return the most benefits per investment.

California’s Great Central Valley should be among the highest priorities for the 30 by 30 and the natural and working lands strategies.

Many thanks to our partners for their contributions to this StoryMap

Funding provided by the Central Valley Joint Venture and the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation