Progress in Conserving Significant Coastal Habitats – a 30x30 Evaluation and Path Forward

Summary: As of June 2025, the 30x30 initiative has conserved 26.1% of California’s lands and 21.9% of California’s coastal waters.

As this goal becomes more tangible, it is important to remember that the quality of these conserved areas is just as important as the quantity. This analysis evaluates the quality of this progress based off project’s objective to expand habitat connectivity.

I developed a method to identify areas for future conservation projects based on 30x30’s goals. I performed a cluster analysis for finding hotspots of prioritized habitat types and a workflow to determine site quality based on habitat connectivity.