Amid growing evidence that the western Joshua tree could lose all but about 10 percent of its current range by the end of this century, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife last month published a status review concluding the trees do not warrant threatened status.
And while the final determination is in the hands of the California Fish and Game Commission, that status review is likely to figure heavily in the ultimate decision. Focus on protecting the western Joshua tree began when the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the state’s Fish and Game Commission to list the species as endangered. Environmental groups rallied around the effort citing development and climate change as the main threats to the species. The status review, however, says there is insufficient data to show the tree is in imminent danger. What remains unclear is whether sufficient data showing the tree’s decline can be gathered before the species reaches a tipping point.
