Joshua trees given special protection

California has approved an unprecedented plan to protect the iconic Joshua tree from climate change and development.

- BY ALEX WIGGLESWORTH

ROBERT GAUTHIER Los Angeles Times THE TREE SPECIES is ubiquitous in Joshua Tree National Park for now.

The western Joshua tree conservation plan is a broad blueprint that compiles scientific research and traditional ecological knowledge to identify areas where the plant may thrive in a warmer future and plot out how to best protect that land. It recommends limiting development, taking steps to reduce wildfire risk such as culling invasive grasses and introducing Joshua trees with genetic variations that make them more resilient to warming temperatures.

The plan was required by a state law enacted in 2023 and received final approval Wednesday at a Fish and Game Commission meeting. Proponents say the effort is groundbreaking because it seeks to conserve a species that’s abundant now but is projected to lose much of its habitat to climate change.

"This is the first time I’ve ever seen the Legislature and governor take this step to protect a species that may be imperiled in future,” said

Isabel Baer, acting manager of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife habitat conservation planning branch. The department is tasked with carrying out and enforcing regulations set by the Fish and Game Commission and providing information to inform its decisions.

The forward-looking nature of the plan and underlying law has fueled controversy, with some local residents and politicians pointing out that the tree is currently ubiquitous in some high-desert communities and questioning why it needs protecting. The law also requires property owners to obtain permits and pay fees to kill, damage or remove Joshua trees, which some fear will stifle growth and drive up the cost of living in some of the last affordable regions in Southern California.