Joshua Tree Protections Subject Of New Lawsuit Filed Against Federal Government

The environmental advocacy group WildEarth Guardians is suing the federal government for the second time over its decision not to list the Joshua tree as an endangered or threatened species.

Last year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concluded the trees were not at risk of being endangered in the foreseeable future.

“We believe that that decision was wrong based on the science and the climate models that show that by the end of the century, across 99% of the range for Joshua trees will be functionally extinct,” said Lindsay Larris, an attorney with WildEarth Guardians.

A spokesperson for USFWS said the agency does not comment on pending litigation.

In 2021, a federal judge ruled in favor of WildEarth Guardians, saying that the USFWS’s climate change conclusions were “arbitrary and capricious.”

Larris said while designating the Joshua tree as threatened or endangered won’t change climate change realities, it would enable more protections, like designating more money toward wildfire protections.

She said there are certain areas of habitat the tree could survive in the future — climate refugia, or areas that have natural buffers against the current climate crisis.

“We want to make sure those areas are actually protected, and the federal government puts resources into doing what it needs to to ensure that those small pockets remain protected so some Joshua trees will thrive into the future,” she said.

Meanwhile, California has taken steps to protect Joshua trees in the state. Under the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act, which was enacted last year, western Joshua trees cannot be imported, exported, or sold in the state without authorization from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.