Secretary Haaland Secures 28 Million Acres of Land Protections for Alaska
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: August 27, 2024
Contact: Anja Semanco | anja@alaskawild.org | 724-967-2777
Secretary Haaland Secures 28 Million Acres of Land Protections for Alaska
Washington D.C. – Today, the Biden administration and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced an order to solidify protections for 28 million acres of Alaska.
“Secretary Haaland’s decision today reflects an exceptional dedication to conservation on a scale as vast as Alaska itself,” said Kristen Miller, Executive Director of Alaska Wilderness League. “Protecting Alaska’s lands and waters at this magnitude offers one of our greatest chances to preserve biodiversity and essential subsistence resources from extractive industries for local communities and for generations to come.”
Secretary Haaland’s decision puts us back on track to meet the ambitious goals of the America the Beautiful initiative. By 2030, this effort seeks to conserve, connect, and restore at least 30 percent of U.S. land, water, and ocean, helping to prevent large-scale species loss, expand equitable access to nature’s benefits, and mitigate the escalating impacts of the climate crisis for all.
One of the remarkable features of this protected land is its coverage of vast migration corridors, linking significant portions of the state and encompassing nearly 13 percent of Alaska, representing some of the nation’s last remaining intact ecosystems. Most importantly, these lands are rich in cultural, subsistence, and ecological values that Alaska Native peoples have depended on for millennia.
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