This is an urgent call to preserve more than 2.5 million acres of forests in western states to achieve the 30×30 goal of safeguarding 30 percent of U.S. land and waters by 2030. Not only would this protect the carbon currently stored in trees and soil but also maintain the ability of forests to draw carbon from the atmosphere in the future while preserving wildlife habitat and clean water sources. Only 6 percent of New Mexico is currently protected, the lowest of any western state
Preserving Southwestern forests and wildlife