Sacramento, CA…Governor Newsom announced that California is on track to reach its goal of conserving 30% of the state’s lands and coastal waters by the year 2030. California has officially conserved more than 25% of its land on its march to achieving its ambitious conservation goals.

Today, Governor Gavin Newsom kicked off California Biodiversity Week with the release of the 2024 Annual Progress Report for the 30×30 Initiative – California’s commitment to conserve 30% of state lands and coastal waters by the year 2030.

The report shows that California is making significant progress toward this goal, with the state now having conserved 25.2% of its lands and 16.2% of its coastal waters.

Since the 30×30 effort started in 2022, California has added almost 1.5 million acres of 30×30 Conservation Areas—or roughly 2,350 square miles of conserved lands. And this year alone, 861,000 acres of conserved lands were added to 30×30 in California.

“In 2020, I signed an executive order to conserve 30% of lands and 30% of coastal waters in California by 2030. And four years into this effort, we’re on track to achieve this target, with over a quarter of our lands protected. We won’t stop working to protect California’s unparalleled natural beauty for generations to come.”

Governor Gavin Newsom