The New Conservation

This cover story for the fall 2021 Breakthroughs issue explores UC Berkeley Rausser college's impact on the state, national, and global 30x30 initiative. Rausser experts consulting on the California initiative explain how old conservation practices have been replaced by ecosystem-centered science,  and they unpack culturally informed research that incorporates Native practices and probes the damaging impacts of history.

Many experts ... feel that getting to 30 percent is feasible, but, they say, success depends on both acknowledging conservation’s history and providing a clear vision for its future. What does “conserved” mean today? Who is doing the conserving, who benefits, and who pays? Read more.