Today we’re taking a look at the potential for transformative change in environmental conservation in the US and beyond.

The administration of US President Joe Biden released a report called “America The Beautiful” last month that laid out a vision for conserving 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030, making the US the latest country to release what’s called a 30×30 plan. Many other countries have already joined the 30×30 movement, and a group of more than 50 countries from around the world, led by Costa Rica, France, and the UK, are pushing for a global 30×30 goal to be adopted at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity taking place in China this October.

Joining us today to discuss the Biden Administration’s 30×30 plan is Joe Walston, executive vice president of global conservation for the Wildlife Conservation Society. Walston tells us about how the plan has been received by environmentalists, the most important details of the plan that still need to be fleshed out, and why the US joining the 30×30 movement could have broader impacts than just transforming conservation in the States.

While we wait for details on Biden’s 30×30 plan, there are already a number of conservation initiatives in the US that aim to make profound changes in the way Americans live on this planet. One good example of these kinds of initiatives are agroforestry projects, which seek to produce food within systems that include trees and other perennials and can actually restore the environment rather than deplete it.

We’re also joined today by Mongabay contributor Sarah Derouin, who recently wrote about two agroforestry programs underway in the US Midwest and in the state of Pennsylvania. Derouin tells us about the goals of these programs and how agroforestry might factor into the US meeting its new 30×30 targets.

Here are some links for further reading:

• “Biden lays out vision for protecting 30% of US land, waters by 2030” (6 May 2021)
• “Nuts about agroforestry in the U.S. Midwest: Can hazelnuts transform farming?” (28 April 2021)
• “In Pennsylvania, agroforestry holds a key to cleaning up waterways and Chesapeake Bay” (27 May 2021)

And here’s an episode of the Mongabay Newscast from January 2021 dedicated entirely to agroforestry:

• “Podcast: Agroforestry, an ancient climate solution that boosts food production and biodiversity” (27 January 2021)

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Follow Mike Gaworecki on Twitter: @mikeg2001

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