Editorial: Finally, a plan to save Joshua trees from climate change — and the bureaucrats (via latimesopinion )
Climate change is the single greatest threat to the long-term survival of the Joshua tree, a beloved symbol of California’s high desert. But the biggest short-term obstacle is an impasse by state wildlife officials, who have been unable to agree whether to list it as threatened under the state Endangered Species Act.
The proposal would protect the trees from being wiped out by the next century while allowing for renewable energy and housing development — no matter what the California Fish and Game Commission decides. It’s a well-thought-out compromise that acknowledges both scientific and political realities, and would still allow designation as threatened, though that move seems unlikely.
These trees have been under temporary legal protection since 2020, making it illegal to kill them without special permits. But those safeguards would go away if the Fish and Game Commission decides not to list Joshua trees as threatened, returning authority to issue permits to remove Joshua trees to county sheriffs or county agricultural commissioners.
One of the strengths of the proposal is a requirement that the Department of Fish and Wildlife, by 2024, develop a conservation plan to save the species across its range. That proactive approach is fitting for this climate-driven threat, and an improvement on the usual process, where threatened and endangered species aren’t subject to serious action to prevent their extinction until their numbers are already so low that it’s almost too late.
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