HUNTERS AND ANGLERS ARE KEY TO BIODIVERSITY

Hunters and Anglers

Are Key To Biodiversity

BY JEFF CRANE, PRESiDENT OF THE CONGRESSiONAL SPORTSMEN’S FOUNDATiON

If you were to ask most sporting conservation groups about their thoughts on the “Thirty by Thirty Initiative” (30 by 30), you’d likely get a range of answers ranging from “land grab” to “cautiouasly optimistic.” This global initiative, which seeks to protect 30% of the world’s lands and waters by the year 2030, has received significant attention lately. Environmental organizations frame 30 by 30 as a solution to a biodiversity crisis that is linked to, among other things, the effects of climate change. In January, President Biden issued an Executive Order proposing to pursue the 30 by 30 goal in the United States. The goal of conserving biodiversity is admirable, but with 30 by 30 being little more than a catchy slogan at this point, hunters, anglers and others have raised some important questions, including, “What does this mean for sportsmen and women, the original conservationists?”

In addition to supporting conservation efforts through the American System of Conservation Funding, sportsmen and women have been largely responsible for many of the on-the-ground conservation successes that we have seen in the United States for nearly a century. For us, the passion for conservation does not end when we hang up the bow, rifle, or fishing rod for the year. Instead, many sportsmen and women carry this passion into the offseason as they work to conserve the diverse ecosystems of which we are a part of. It is through these very pursuits that sportsmen and women, farmers, ranchers, and landowners lead when it comes to stewardship of our nation’s natural resources.

Given this history, it is obvious that sportsmen and women should be steering the ship when it comes to decisions related to 30 by 30 policies or any conservation initiative. That’s why the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) led an effort to establish the “Hunt Fish 30 by 30” Coalition. This coalition, which includes the Houston Safari Club (HSC), was officially launched last fall and has since grown to include dozens of hunting and fishing groups. The coalition’s website, huntfish3030. com, is an educational resource where the public can learn about 30 by 30 and the leading role that sportsmen and women clearly play in supporting biodiversity conservation. The Hunt Fish 30 by 30 website can also be used by policy makers as a resource to understand how hunting and fishing organizations view 30 by 30.

When environmental groups started using 30 by 30 as a smokescreen for anti-sustainable-use policies, the options were pretty clear; either stand on the sidelines or get into game and put forward a clear set of principles needed to form the basis of any workable 30 by 30 policies. As a united front to encourage hunters and anglers to get involved in conversations about 30 by 30 the Hunt Fish 30 by 30 coalition’s perspective was formally acknowledged in the Biden Administration’s (administration) recently released report on 30 by 30 framework recommendations. In May, the Secretaries of the Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, and the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality laid out the Biden Administration’s long-awaited plan for the 30 by 30 Initiative in a report titled, “Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful.” As a result of our direct engagement with the administration, the report contained many of the priorities previously outlined by the Hunt Fish 30 by 30 coalition, setting the stage for future efforts to determine specific goals of the Initiative, and what opportunities exist to build upon existing conservation programs. The report even quoted the Hunt Fish 30 by 30 preamble, an indication that the interests of sportsmen and women are, so far, being recognized and considered in approaches to pursuing 30 by 30 goals. Throughout the report, the Administration references the role of the hunting and angling community in the United States’ history of conservation successes, specifically calling for stakeholder engagement, including engagement from the hunting and fishing community that is laser focused on advancing science-based practices and programs that

Hunters, anglers, maintain and enhance outdoor recreational acand our allies are standing together cess for all Americans side-by-side with locally developed conservation projects. Engagement from the hunting and angling community is offering productive crucial to any 30 by 30 policy when the goal solutions so others is to conserve and restore our natural places. Additionally, the report highlights the impordon’t have an tance of voluntary conservation on our nation’s opportunity to working lands and forests, recognizing that pridefine the future of vate landowners are essential to maintaining the health and proper functioning of wildlife and conservation for us. associated local economies. Hunters and anglers should also be pleased to see the distinction made between conservation and preservation in the report’s recommendations, a primary consideration of the Hunt Fish 30 by 30 coalition. “Notably, the President’s challenge specifically emphasizes the notion of “conservation” of the nation’s natural resources (rather than the related but different concept of “protection” or “preservation”) recognizing that many uses of our lands and waters, including of working lands, can be consistent with the long-term health and sustainability of natural systems,” the report states. Using 30 by 30 to advance a preservation agenda would be detrimental to the viability of healthy fish and wildlife populations, outdoor recreational access, and the vitality of rural America. That’s why it is critical that America’s hunters and anglers stand firm and remain engaged to ensure that the policy proposals that are sure to come after the report live up to the distinctions outlined in the

America the Beautiful framework.

Finally, the report stresses the importance of policies that will support on-the-ground efforts to enhance at-risk species and their habitats in collaboration with state wildlife agencies by implementing State Wildlife Action Plans—a primary objective in the recently introduced Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA), legislation that enjoys broad support from hunting and fishing groups. The report also emphasizes the importance of the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act—a priority piece of legislation CSF helped guide through Congress—to address environmental concerns while providing increased access for sportsmen and women.

Hunt Fish 30 by 30 highlights the importance of coordination and cooperation with a variety of stakeholders to ensure that programs and practices carried out in the name of 30 by 30 reflect the needs of hunters and anglers. This includes clear recognition that the ability to work in partnership with private landowners on a voluntary basis is essential to any biodiversity conservation effort that expects support from the sportsmen’s community. Similar to our unmovable position that 30 by 30 must not restrict hunting and fishing access or opportunity, this is non-negotiable.

Through our community’s united engagement, we have taken an important first step in making sure decision makers understand our priorities. But while the America the Beautiful report reflects the hunting and angling community’s voices, the true viability of a 30 by 30 initiative that our community can support, remains, as always, in the details. CSF, alongside HSC and our Hunt Fish 30 by 30 partners, will continue to engage with the Biden Administration and Congress to ensure our questions are answered, refine the initiative to address our concerns, and ensure hunters, anglers, landowners, and agricultural producers remain a cornerstone of our nation’s conservation legacy beyond the report.

Hunters, anglers, and our allies are standing together offering productive solutions so others don’t have an opportunity to define the future of conservation for us. You can do your part by signing the petition on huntfish3030.com that demands recognition of hunting and fishing in 30 by 30 policy discussions, and encourages lawmakers to support the historic and ongoing contributions to biodiversity conservation that are made by sportsmen and women, while also protecting access to our lands and waters. Our conservation legacy is derived from the profound appreciation we have for healthy fish and wildlife habitats that benefit all Americans. If we stand by and let others define this narrative for us, we’ll not only lose our seat at the table, we’ll end up on the menu. ★