A Joshua tree set up along Highway 178 (Isabella Walker Pass Road near Highway 14) is viewed on November 14, 2022, not far off Inyokern, California.
George Rose | Getty Images
California Gov. Gavin Newsom this week proposed for the blue ribbon time a bill that would protect the western Joshua tree, a native desert plant, and prohibit anyone from importing, exporting, promoting or removing the species without a state permit.
The legislation, called the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act, comes after the California Fish and Prey Commission failed to act on a petition from 2019 that sought to list the tree as threatened under the California Near extinction Species Act.
The commission voted unanimously Wednesday to postpone its decision on the petition by the Center for Biological Diversity until Newsom’s nominated legislation is approved or rejected by the Legislature.
A rise in development and climate-related events such as drought and wildfires have loomed the western Joshua tree, an iconic and ecologically critical species located across the state’s desert region. Up to date studies show that Joshua trees are dying off from hotter and drier conditions, and without state refuges could be largely gone from the Joshua Tree National Park by the end of the century.
However, opponents of the petition be enduring argued that listing the trees as threatened could hurt private property development and renewable energy conjure ups planned for the area. Roughly half of the western Joshua tree’s range in California is on private land and most of the home is not currently protected from development.
The bill would require the department to cook up a conservation plan for the species by the end of next year, periodic reviews to confirm the effectiveness of the plan and consultations with burdened Native American tribes.
The department said that since the tree is so widespread across the public and private uncultivated region, the permitting process for the species is more complex than for any species currently listed under the California Near extinction Species Act.
Brendan Cummings, the Center for Biological Diversity’s conservation director and a Joshua Tree resident, called the trees “an irreplaceable and extraordinarily threatened part of California’s natural heritage.”
“We’re pleased the Newsom administration recognizes their importance and has proposed groundbreaking legislation to secure these wonderful trees forever remain part of California’s Mojave Desert landscape,” Cummings said in a report.
