California Strengthens Land Stewardship

California Strengthens Land Stewardship with Passage of AB 900

California took a significant step toward achieving its 30×30 conservation goals with the signing of AB 900. The legislation strengthens the long-term stewardship of protected lands, ensuring that conservation efforts provide lasting ecological benefits.

The state’s 30×30 initiative is a statewide goal to conserve 30 percent of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030. Its purpose is to protect biodiversity, safeguard wildlife habitats, enhance climate resilience, and maintain critical ecosystem services such as clean water, carbon storage, and recreation opportunities. The initiative involves permanent land protection, restoration of degraded ecosystems, sustainable land management, and collaboration with tribal nations and local communities. Achieving 30×30 requires active stewardship, maintaining ecological health, controlling invasive species, restoring native habitats, and preparing for climate-related impacts such as wildfires, droughts, and flooding.

Assembly Bill 900 directs the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) to develop strategies that reduce barriers to stewardship and increase support for conserved lands. The bill also requires CNRA to include a dedicated section in its 2027 annual report detailing stewardship needs, best practices, workforce requirements, and innovative technologies for land management.

“Conserving land is only the first step,” said a CNRA representative. “If we are serious about climate resilience and biodiversity, we must actively steward these lands, ensuring they are restored, maintained, and safeguarded for generations to come.”

The legislation also emphasizes strengthening tribal consultation and partnerships, supporting the return of ancestral lands, and integrating these priorities into the broader 30×30 strategy.

Conservation organizations applauded the passage of AB 900, noting that stewardship efforts including wildfire resilience, invasive species management, and recovery from extreme weather are essential to achieving California’s climate and biodiversity goals.

The passage of AB 900 reflects growing recognition that protecting land is only meaningful if it is actively cared for, restored, and maintained for future generations