Working Towards Conserving 30% Of New York’s Lands and Waters
In 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation A.5390B/S.6191A in the state’s Environmental Conservation Law § 49-0113 codifying New York’s commitment to conserve 30% of the State’s lands and waters by 2030 in collaboration with a broad group of partners and stakeholders. DEC and the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) have developed strategies to support this effort.
30x30 emphasizes collaboration among state agencies, local governments, Indigenous Nations, conservation organizations, and private landowners. Importantly, 30x30 integrates climate justice into the overarching Strategy by prioritizing benefits for vulnerable communities, recognizing the essential role of equitable access to healthy natural environments.
Strategies for Conservation
To achieve the 30x30 goal, DEC and OPRHP developed the New York State 30x30 Strategies and Methodology (PDF) while aiming to achieve the following goals:
- Providing protections for water sources, sole source aquifers, and watersheds;
- Preserving biodiversity through habitat conservation and restoration, and means for wildlife migration, with a focus on endangered and threatened species;
- Expanding public access to nature and the outdoors;
- Including considerations of urban, suburban and rural natural areas, wetlands, and forests;
- Protecting food sources through farmland preservation; and
- Increasing climate resilience, including reducing risk from extreme weather events, cooling urban landscapes, and the prevention of erosion and flooding.
Progress Towards Reaching the 30% Conservation Goal
As of early 2026, estimates indicate that approximately 23 percent of New York State’s lands and waters—over 8 million acres--are conserved.
Public Participation
In July 2024, DEC and OPRHP (“The Agencies”) held a 60-day public comment period and two virtual public meetings to facilitate meaningful public engagement, discussion, and comment on the draft strategies and methodology document. The Agencies received 404 public comments. A summary of public comments and The Agencies’ responses are included on the DEC webpage. Progress toward the 30x30 goal will be posted at least annually to the DEC webpage.
Help New York Achieve Our Goal: Submit Your Open Space Property to the Database
$425 million was allocated to the Environmental Protection Fund from the State Budget for 2025-26. More than $300,000 was allocated to the New York Natural Heritage Program to update and improve the New York Protected Areas Database (NYPAD). This spatial database is the primary source of record for 30x30’s permanently protected lands and plays an essential role for state agencies, organizations, and individuals working to conserve lands and waters across New York.
If you are a land trust, municipality, or county that holds conserved open space (either land held in fee or a conservation easement) please check NYPAD’s interactive map to make sure your land is counted towards 30x30! If you do not see your land, enter it into NYPAD.
