RGS & AWS along with other hunting, fishing and habitat conservation groups issue support of 30 by 30 initiative.
October 19, 2020 (Washington, D.C.) – Today, the nation’s leading hunting, fishing, and habitat conservation organizations released a statement on the Thirty by Thirty Initiative (30 by 30 Initiative) to establish a goal of placing 30% of the planet’s lands and waters under protected status by the year 2030.
Given the historic and ongoing role that hunters and anglers have played in land, water, fish, and wildlife conservation in the United States, the Hunting and Fishing Community Statement expresses support for:
- Recognizing the positive role that hunting and fishing play in conservation;
- Protected area definitions that allow for well-managed and sustainable wildlife-dependent activities;
- Consideration of existing protected areas and other management strategies that achieve biodiversity conservation in measuring progress toward stated goals;
- Targeted, science-based conservation measures developed through a stakeholder-driven process to address biodiversity threats; and
- Clearly defined roles and authorities for the entities charged with carrying out the 30 by 30 Initiative proposal.
Coming on the heels of recently released reports identifying global threats to biodiversity, the 30 by 30 Initiative aims to generate support for increasing targets for global land and water protection prior to a meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), currently scheduled for May of 2021. Established in 1993, the CBD is an international treaty with three primary objectives: 1) The conservation of biological diversity; 2) The sustainable use of the components of biological diversity and; 3) The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.
“The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services report that a million species of plants and animals are at risk of extinction was a call to action to address the drivers of biodiversity loss,” said Ben Jones, president and CEO of the Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society. “Hunters and anglers provide crucial support for sustainable, scientifically sound management to offset the loss and fragmentation of habitat, and the disruption of many natural processes that are crucial for conserving American wildlife. The 30 by 30 Initiative is a crucial opportunity to engage a broader segment of the public in such efforts to safeguard biodiversity.”
In response to the rollout of the 30 by 30 initiative, this coalition has assembled to ensure the interests and contributions of sportsmen and sportswomen are part of the process. Although the United States is not a party to the treaty, U.S. elected officials at the local, state, and federal levels have announced efforts to establish or express support for the goals of the initiative in recent months.
Concurrent with the release of the Community Statement, signatories also announced establishment of a website, HuntFish3030.com, to provide hunters and anglers with information about the 30 by 30 Initiative and a petition providing hunters and anglers the opportunity to make their voice heard as elected officials consider policy proposals related to the Initiative.
Original signatories to the Hunting and Fishing Community Statement include the American Sportfishing Association, American Woodcock Society, Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, Center for Sportfishing Policy, Coastal Conservation Association, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, National Marine Manufacturers Association, National Wild Turkey Federation, Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever, Ruffed Grouse Society, Safari Club International, and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.
