California Joins Global Conservation Network
California just became one of the first U.S. states to join a major international conservation organization. Although he tries his hardest to ensure that everyone in power is on his side, many still oppose his ideas. Governor Gavin Newsom is a prime example of this. He has repeatedly ensured that California is always positioned to oppose Trump and challenge the executive branch in Washington.
According to the California Government Publication, Trump’s administration has “cut good-paying clean energy jobs, weakened environmental safeguards, retreated from global efforts to cut pollution, and handed the global economy to our competitors.” This means Trump has demolished the last few years of environmental conservation for a reason no one is certain of. In an attempt to re-establish conservation efforts, Newsom had signed California up to join the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The IUCN works to protect biodiversity and promote sustainable resource management.
Joining The IUCN & What It Means
Earlier this week, Newsom’s team confirmed that California has been accepted into the IUCN, meaning the state can help influence global approaches to biodiversity conservation and restore its lost climate policies and 
nature-protection laws.
In addition to gaining greater global influence in the environmental sector, California will also receive many benefits from joining the IUCN that are independent of our government. A few of these benefits include access to many scientific institutions and conservation programs, as well as technical experience. These steps taken by Gavin Newsom and the state of California will lead to many projects and developments that aid the fight against climate change and wildlife preservation.
California’s Next Steps
Governor Gavin Newsom wanted to present California’s membership in the IUCN to gain public recognition and credibility at the international level in restoration. Now that California has joined, the state faces the challenge of implementing meaningful conservation projects.
California will have significant influence (alongside Massachusetts) as the first U.S. state to join; this power will allow California to get a jump-start on several projects. Two main focuses for Cali as of late have been marine ecosystem protection and wildlife habitat restoration. While wildlife habitat restoration is straightforward in concept, the costs are substantial—for example, a single wildlife crossing can cost up to $114 million. For example, building a wildlife crossing bridge over/under freeways and highways could cost California up to $114 million. Although this is a hefty cost, with the help of the IUCN and its extensive resources, building wildlife crossings such as the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing will cost the U.S. significantly less.
Recap
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a global organization of conservationists and scientists dedicated to restoring our earth and rehabilitating wildlife. California signed up to join this organization in October 2025 under Governor Gavin Newsom and was recently accepted into the union. California has the opportunity to use this membership to its advantage by not only preserving the state’s natural resources and beauty but also opposing Trump’s push to forget about nature.
