Deputy General Manager Ana Alvarez to Serve on California’s 30x30 Partnership Coordinating Committee
Park District Deputy General Manager Dr. Ana M. Alvarez has been appointed to serve on the California 30x30 Partnership Coordinating Committee by California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot. The 30x30 Partnership Coordinating Committee was established to implement the policies of the 30x30 initiative and facilitate coordination among tribal partners, state and federal public agencies, and other non-governmental partners. The 30x30 initiative aims to conserve 30 percent of the state’s lands and coastal waters by 2030 (30x30). The Committee’s first meeting was held on Tuesday, August 16, 2022.
“I am honored to participate on the 30x30 Partnership Coordinating Committee representing the California Biodiversity Network, which brings together all sectors to provide key technical and ecosystem management expertise by engaging environmental stewards, governmental and tribal representatives, scientists, and educators in support of California’s commitment to 30x30,” said Dr. Alvarez. “30x30 is a unique opportunity for our state, nation, and global community to enhance the conservation of our natural world while also improving access for all and advancing nature-based solutions to accelerate resiliency in the face of climate change.”
In October 2020, Governor Newsom issued the Nature-Based Solutions Executive Order N-82-20, which committed to the goal of conserving thirty percent of our lands and coastal waters by 2030 (30x30).
This past April, the Park District hosted Secretary Wade Crowfoot’s convening of conservation leaders from around the state and region at Roberts Regional Recreation Area to discuss the state’s 30x30 efforts to protect biodiversity, expand access to nature, and address climate change through nature-based solutions. The gathering was an important step forward following the release of the “Pathways to 30x30” report on Earth Day, 2022.
“Nature-based solutions like land preservation are needed to accelerate the pace, scale, and impact of climate-smart conservation by building resiliency from current and future impacts of climate change, including flooding from sea level rise, shoreline and marsh erosion, and increasing wildfire risks,” said Dr. Alvarez. “As public agencies, we must lead with cultural humility to shape and advance this new model of conservation identified in California’s 30x30 that integrates the intersectionality of people, science and nature”.
The 30x30 Partnership Coordinating Committee is tasked with assisting the California Natural Resources Agency with communication and statewide coordination toward implementing the 30x30 initiative’s goals. The committee’s role is to “coordinate the hundreds of entities across the state working to achieve 30x30.”
The East Bay Regional Park District is the largest regional park system in the nation, comprising 73 parks, 55 miles of shoreline, and over 1,300 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and environmental education. The Park District receives more than 25 million visits annually throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the San Francisco Bay Area.
