On Tuesday September 22, the California Fish and Game Commission (the Commission) unanimously voted to grant candidate status to the Western Joshua tree as a threatened species under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). The action was taken based on a petition filed by the Center for Biological Diversity in October 2019 under the guise that the Western Joshua tree, while not presently threatened, could become an endangered species in the foreseeable future without special protections afforded under CESA. However, stakeholders, including RCRC, have contended that the petition fails to provide sufficient evidence regarding population trends or abundance of the species, which is native to the Mojave Desert.
Tuesday’s action provides temporary protections for the Western Joshua tree under CESA while the Commission undertakes the process of considering whether to approve the species for permanent listing. However, the Commission did grant emergency take permits in the meantime to 15 large solar facilities that have already begun the process of construction.
For more information on the Western Joshua tree status, visit the Commission’s website here.