Park District’s Commitment to State 30x30 Conservation Initiative Recognized by CNRA Secretary Crowfoot

Land conservation has been part of the Park District’s mission since its founding in 1934. Signed by the governor in October 2020, the Nature Based Solutions Executive Order, also known as the 30x30 initiative, aims to conserve 30 percent of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030. The Park District has historically embraced and practiced elements of the 30x30 conservation initiative by stewarding natural resources on public lands, including the rich biodiversity, ecological systems, and iconic landscapes that define East Bay’s nature. The state-supported 30x30 initiative elevates the urgency and priority of these actions, in turn increasing the focus on the East Bay Regional Park District’s legacy of conservation and its critical role in activating nature-based solutions for climate resiliency.

“The Park District has spent the last 89 years preserving and protecting land and habitat,” says General Manager Sabrina Landreth. “We are now prioritizing projects that set aside more areas within our parklands and shorelines to protect biodiversity under threat from habitat loss and climate change.”

To meet these goals, the Park District has been a strong advocate for the state’s $1.3 billion allocation in grant opportunities for local projects, fostering external partnerships for regional solutions, and creating pathways for all Park District staff to accelerate climate-smart conservation and integrate the principles of 30x30 initiative in their everyday work. The Park District has been awarded $48.9 million in funding for projects that align with 30x30 conservation and resilience goals, including the acquisition of the Finley Road and Point Molate properties, design and construction of the Thurgood Marshall Regional Park – Home of the Port Chicago 50 Public Access Project, planning for restoration and public access at Big Break and North Basin Strip, and wildfire risk mapping.

In recognition of the Park District’s continued contributions toward meeting the initiative’s goals, California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot has reappointed Park District Deputy General Manager Dr. Ana M. Alvarez to serve a second term on California’s 30x30 Partnership Coordinating Committee to support the implementation of 30x30 by engaging and empowering partners across the state working toward its objectives. Dr. Alvarez represents the California Biodiversity Network (CBN) on the committee, leading efforts to advance biodiversity protection, stewardship, environmental education, and scientific inquiry while centering equity. CBN meaningfully engages environmental stewards, governmental and tribal representatives, scientists, and educators working at local, regional, and statewide scale to protect California’s globally renowned and highly threatened natural heritage.

Dr. Alvarez states, that “As the 12th largest conservation land management agency in California and the largest regional park system in the nation, the Park District serves as a demonstration model for large-scale conservation in an urban setting, by expanding public lands strategically, protecting and restoring biodiversity, adapting to the whiplashes of extreme weather events from a rapidly changing climate, and providing balanced and managed recreational access, while taking down the barriers to equitable access to public lands for marginalized communities.”

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