Regional Restoration Planning for the Central San Joaquin Valley and Sierra Nevada

In a partnership between the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management and Sequoia Riverlands Trust (SRTI, this project proposes a restoration plan for California's Central San Joaquin Valley, spanning Tulare, Kings, Fresno, and Madera counties. The plan bridges the gap between local and statewide goals by consolidating existing conservation plans, addressing gaps in regional knowledge, and engaging local partners and residents to help shape the final plan.

The four-county region has changed drastically over time, with historic ecosystems largely replaced by agriculture and urban development, specifically across the valley floor. This transition has driven groundwater depletion, biodiversity loss, and higher environmental hazard risk. These impacts disproportionately burden already disadvantaged populations, worsening health outcomes. Projected groundwater constraints indicate that large amounts of farmland may require repurposing, which will further these negative impacts. This potential transition, and other existing restoration efforts, can improve habitat connectivity, reduce environmental hazards, meet state-led directives on conservation which encourage nature based solutions, and support community health and economic resilience.

This project synthesizes ecological, hydrological, and sociodemographic data to find that over 2.2 million acres of land can be prioritized for restoration across the region. The final product serves as an applied decision-making tool which includes a series of maps that identify which areas are prioritized for restoration and which ecosystems are impacted, along with a series of restoration strategies and guidance to support alignment between land managers and agencies in the region. 

Acknowledgements

UC Santa Barbara Bren School (including but not limited to): Dr. Jayajit Chakraborty, Professor and Mellichamp Endowed Chair in Racial Environmental Justice; Cora Snyder, Lecturer and Senior Researcher at the Pacific Institute; Dr. Lynn Scarlett, former Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bren Dean's Council; Dr. Mel Willis, former VP for Environmental Sciences and Planning Services at Fugro West, Bren Dean's Council

Sequoia Riverlands Trust (including but not limited to): Dr. Logan Robertson Heucker, Executive Director; Adam Livingston, Director of Planning & Policy