STRATEGIC CONSERVATION FOR A CLIMATE-RESILIENT FUTURE
With land trusts on the front lines of the climate crisis, increasing the pace and scale of land conservation has never been more critical.
Conserved lands play a pivotal role in mitigating the effects of climate change on our community by supporting carbon sequestration, ensuring the viability of sensitive habitats, safeguarding prime agricultural lands that support local food networks, and protecting precious natural resources. These benefits extend to our community, providing clean drinking water, fresh air, and recreational opportunities, while also ensuring the well-being of future generations.
Shasta Land Trust’s 10-year Climate Conservation Initiative will help identify and conserve key lands in Shasta County that provide the most significant climate benefits, and implement strategies to meet those conservation goals through 2034.
Through these strategic climate-smart conservation actions, we will help to create a sustainable and resilient future for our region.
Climate Conservation Priorities:
The Initiative assesses four climate conservation priorities with significant environmental and public benefits and identifies strategic actions for each priority.
1. Natural Communities
Biodiverse habitats and connective landscapes that protect valuable ecosystems, natural resources, and migration pathways necessary for the survival of wildlife and plant species in our changing environment.
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Shasta County is a biologically diverse part of the state with 43 of the 59 identified different wildlife habitat classifications, according to the California Wildlife Habitat Relationship System. A variety of habitat in our region support various species including many that are endangered and threatened. By conserving landscapes with diverse habitats, wildlife, and plant species, we can protect resources necessary for natural communities to survive in our changing climate.
Strategic Actions:
Identify and conserve critical habitats that will support California’s biodiversity and ecosystems.
Protect habitats necessary for shelter, food, and breeding that are critical for the survival of special status species.
Conserve core habitats and the lands that connect them to allow diverse species to move between resilient ecosystems in order to support their long-term survival.
2. Water Resources
Resilient freshwater resources that support natural hydrologic functions necessary to endure and combat the effects of climate change.
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Water sustains life and has immense economic, ecological, and cultural importance.
Our region is situated within the ecologically significant Sacramento River Watershed, with numerous subwatersheds. These watersheds provide vital water resources necessary for the survival of local populations, wildlife, and native ecosystems. The rivers, lakes, streams, cold water springs, and other riparian and aquatic habitats in our area are crucial sources of water for the environment, agriculture, households, fire protection, Tribal Nations, and recreation in our community.
As temperatures rise due to climate change, increased evaporation reduces surface water, decreases snowpack, dries out soils and vegetation, and leads to extreme precipitation events, such as flooding and drought. By protecting valuable watersheds, we can safeguard aquatic resources that may prove crucial in a changing climate.
Strategic Actions:
Include Adaptive Management Plans with each conservation easement project that focus on proactive climate-smart management of wetlands and riparian areas for the purpose of enhancing water quality and supply.
Conserve groundwater recharge zones within priority watersheds, including rivers, wetlands, and irrigated pasture.
Protect intact headwaters, cold spring habitats, aquatic ecosystems such as vernal pools, and high priority streams.
3. Carbon Sequestration
Forests, soils, and wetlands with high carbon sequestration potential or large carbon stores that proactively keep carbon out of the atmosphere.
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Soil carbon sequestration is a process in which carbon dioxide (CO2) is removed from the atmosphere and stored in a carbon pool, often in the soil, or in biomass, meaning leaves and other organic material. Current global projections require cutting 30 gigatons of carbon emissions a year by 2030 if we are to keep global temperature increases well below the target goal of 2 degrees Celsius, (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). If carbon-storing forests, grasslands, wetlands and farmlands are protected and allowed to serve necessary ecological functions, natural carbon sequestration processes can reduce more than one-third of the emissions needed to hit this goal (Nature Conservancy, 2019).
By conserving lands with high carbon stores or high carbon sequestration potential, we can proactively keep carbon out of the atmosphere.
Strategic Actions:
Use conservation easements to strategically protect forested properties with high carbon storage capacity and/or potential.
Conserve properties with grasslands that have a high carbon storage capacity and are at risk of development or conversion to other land uses.
4. Agriculture
Working farmland and ranches that help to limit the impacts of climate change to agricultural productivity, contribute to local food systems, and build ecological resilience in soils and waterways.
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The scaling effects of climate change combined with a rising global population make it harder to ensure a stable food supply in the future. Farms and ranchlands not only provide the food that we eat, but also provide vital ecosystem functions. With good stewardship, these lands can also sequester carbon in the soil, maintain soil health, protect water quality, and provide healthy ecosystems for native plants and animals.
By protecting agricultural lands and promoting best management practices, we can encourage and assist agricultural landowners to support healthy ecosystems while safeguarding our community from potential climate change impacts to food supply chains.
Strategic Actions:
Co-develop Adaptive Management Plans with landowners for agricultural conservation easements focusing on proactive vegetation management and soil health to increase soil carbon and function for improved fertility, crop production, and forage growth.
Prioritize the protection of properties with active land management utilizing climate-smart agricultural practices.
Protect large, intact, working landscapes in order to sustain local food networks.
A Healthy Future through Strategic Conservation: Impacts to Public Health
Through protecting lands that support healthy air, fresh water, and sustainable resources, we can safeguard our community from public health risks as a result of climate change.
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Climate change and the associated environmental impacts affect numerous public health factors including clean air, safe drinking water, food supply, and safe and secure shelter.
These public health risks as a result of climate change have the potential for substantial impacts to our livelihood and survival as a community. The World Health Organization projects climate change will cause an additional 250,000 deaths a year from 2030 to 2050. The populations most affected by these health issues often have the fewest resources and the least ability to adapt in times of crisis (World Health Organization, 2021).
By identifying public health issues that may be preventable through targeted conservation, we can positively impact the health of our community for the future.
Strategic Actions:
Protect intact natural ecosystems near urban boundaries to offset climate risks and increase climate resilience.
Prioritize conservation projects near disadvantaged communities.
Co-develop Adaptive Management Plans for private forest landowners that focuses on timber management to maintain forest health and reduce wildfire risk.
Conserve open space to provide battle lines for wildfire containment (e.g., opportunities for backfires), as well as properties which can allow for proper fuels management with shaded fuel breaks and prescribed fire.
Protect priority areas near urban boundaries to promote smart development practices near urban centers.
Work with landowners to protect greenbelts between communities that preserve scenic viewsheds and open space.
Develop conservation partnerships with organizations and entities that allow recreational public access close to urban areas.
Implementation: The Plan in Action:
As we consider new properties for conservation, we’ll be using advanced mapping tools to evaluate the land. Properties that meet multiple conservation goals—like protecting wildlife habitats, preserving water resources, and addressing climate change—will be prioritized. This strategic approach ensures that we focus on lands that will have the greatest long-term impact on the health and sustainability of our region.
With your support, we can accelerate the pace of conservation, secure the lands we depend on, and turn the tide on climate change at the local level.
Read the Climate Conservation Initiative below and learn how to help: