The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has released a 294-page draft conservation plan to protect Joshua trees from extinction, marking the state’s first-ever initiative to shield a species specifically from climate change impacts. “I’m grateful the Newsom administration and lawmakers agree that western Joshua trees are an irreplaceable part of California’s natural heritage that has to be protected,” states Brendan Cummings, conservation director at the Center for Biological Diversity, which petitioned in 2019 to list the western Joshua tree as threatened under California’s Endangered Species Act. The Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act requires concrete action. The plan sets … Continue reading California’s Statewide Ban on Joshua Tree Damage Sets Stage for Ambitious Habitat Protection Goals to Prevent Extinction