News & Stories

At COP16, world leaders addressed the urgent biodiversity crisis, emphasizing the need for accelerated conservation efforts, smarter protection strategies, and global collaboration to meet the 30×30 goal, with Catalina Island serving as a model for innovative restoration and partnership-driven conservation success.

The sixth mass extinction, driven by human activity such as habitat destruction, climate change, and overexploitation, threatens global biodiversity at unprecedented rates, but strategic conservation efforts—protecting just 1.2% of Earth’s land, implementing strong policies, leveraging technology, and involving local communities—offer a viable path to prevent further species loss and ensure ecological resilience for future generations.

Biodiversity conservation and land restoration are essential for wildfire resilience, as seen on Catalina Island, where efforts to remove invasive species, restore native vegetation, and reduce human-introduced pressures help mitigate fire risks and protect the island’s fragile ecosystem.

Catalina Island Conservancy rangers play a crucial role in protecting the island’s 48,000 acres by managing human impact, enforcing conservation regulations, preventing wildfires, and ensuring public safety, making them the unsung heroes preserving Catalina’s natural beauty for future generations.

The Catalina Island fox, a unique and vital species to the island’s ecosystem, faces ongoing threats like disease, habitat loss, and vehicle collisions, prompting the Catalina Island Conservancy to implement extensive conservation efforts, including population monitoring, vaccinations, and public awareness campaigns like “Slow Down for Fox Sake” to ensure their long-term survival.

The Catalina Island Conservancy welcomes Adam Finck as its first-ever Chief of Programs, where he will lead conservation, education, recreation, and volunteer initiatives to scale the Conservancy’s impact and foster a climate-resilient island.

California has made notable progress in its 30×30 conservation strategy, with 25.5% of land and 16.2% of coastal waters protected, and continued efforts focused on securing land, funding, and partnerships to reach the 2030 goal.

January 14, 2024

Learnings from California Islands Symposium directly support the strategy behind the Catalina Island Restoration Project.

Catalina Island Conservancy recently donated more than 200 native plants to Santa Cruz Island Foundation to provide visitors a glimpse of wild Catalina.