Molly Nagle at the California Department of Conservation

Global consensus among conservation and climate change scientists believes 30% of earth must be set aside for conservation efforts by 2030 to avoid the worst impacts of biodiversity loss due to climate change and human development. Many governments have begun to issue 30x30 goals in their local jurisdictions. Executive Order N-82-20 mandated that California join this global effort.

As part of my practicum, I have teamed up with the California Department of Conservation’s geospatial team to assist with building maps as a tool to aid in statewide conservation planning to comply with the 30x30 mandate. The maps have static and exploratory versions that will become tools for the public to use. Using Esri products I have been creating maps that visualize land cover types, summarize regional conservation opportunities, and highlight equitable outdoor access potential in communities. These maps will be part of the suite of documents that are presented to the public to manage the 30x30 mandate. The practicum has put me in contact with many people across the state government who work on conservation planning and has allowed me to use these very powerful geospatial tools in a professional setting.