The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has published a draft conservation plan aimed at preserving the state’s iconic Joshua trees amid ongoing threats from wildfires and human development.
The 294-page plan calls for avoiding or minimizing both direct and indirect impacts on the Joshua tree and its habitat caused by overgrazing, pesticide use, and unauthorized off-highway vehicle activity.
It also calls for all entities, including governments, businesses, and individuals, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to help “minimize the impacts of climate change” on the species. It asks that landowners, developers, and land managers minimize the area of Joshua tree habitat that is directly affected by their activities….