Where, who, and what counts under area-based conservation targets: A framework for identifying opportunities that benefit biodiversity, climate mitigation, and human communities
O_LIArea-based conservation targets, such as 30-30, if strategically applied, can increase resiliency to climate change and provide co-benefits to people and biodiversity. However, protected areas historically were not designated within the context of global change, and human communities at highest risk are often overlooked in conservation planning. C_LIO_LITo inform 30-30 conservation planning in the United States (i.e., America the Beautiful; ATB), we evaluated where US conservation opportunities exist by identifying habitats that can simultaneously benefit climate change mitigation and bird populations, as well as who lives in these areas and how conservation actions could both improve human well-being or potentially be at odds with local communities. To inform the equitable implementation of area-based conservation targets, we integrated maps of critical habitat for birds now and under a changing climate with carbon stocks and sinks and developed a prioritization framework to investigate the spatial alignment of these locations with areas identified as important for both human well-being and land-dependent human communities. C_LIO_LIAlthough nearly 30% of US lands have some level of protection, only 6% of US lands (143 million acres) are managed for biodiversity and align with Bird and Carbon (BC) priorities, and <3% of protected US lands (59 million acres) align with priorities for Birds, Carbon, and Human well-being (BCH). C_LIO_LIOf the 312 million acres of BCH priorities identified, 71% lack known protection or formal conservation plans (14% of US lands) and should be considered conservation opportunities that could simultaneously address the biodiversity and climate crises, and social inequities. Targeting these BCH areas for conservation action would contribute to more equitable benefits to marginalized communities, and could fulfill the Justice 40 commitment, which aims to allocate 40% of federal investments in climate benefits to marginalized communities (which, for the 30% goal under ATB equates to 12% of US lands). C_LIO_LIAt least 80% of all BCH priorities co-occur with Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) who have strong cultural and socioeconomic ties to the land, making it imperative to work with local communities to define what counts as conservation actions towards the 30% goal and what successful conservation outcomes that benefit biodiversity, climate change mitigation, and human communities look like. C_LI