Sprawl is the top driver of America’s nature loss. It’s time to confront the top driver of America’s sprawl.

May 20, 2024

author Published by Rob Harding

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Think globally, act locally, set an example

This week’s International Day for Biological Diversity invites us to “be part of the Plan.” The Plan refers to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, also known as the Biodiversity Plan. For those of us in the U.S., our collective efforts to stop America’s loss of nature are contributing to the America the Beautiful initiative with a national target to conserve at least 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 (“30×30”).

The latest 30×30 update from the Center for American Progress (CAP) says “analysis from CAP has demonstrated that the United States is losing nature most quickly on private lands, with those lands responsible for more than three-quarters of U.S. nature loss from 2001 to 2017.” That CAP analysis, summarized in a report titled The Green Squeeze, identifies urban sprawl as the primary cause:

“This statistic may not be surprising, but it is worth underlining: From 2001 to 2017, urban sprawl accounted for more than 57 percent of the growth of the area of lands modified by humans in the lower 48 states, consuming 13.8 million acres of natural area during that period. This loss is equivalent to adding 67 New York Cities to the American landscape in less than two decades. The outward creep of cities, suburbs, and exurbs was the top driver of natural area loss in 32 states and in every region except the Northeast.”
– Center for American Progress

Confront sprawl at its source

Regarding policy implications of these findings, CAP’s top suggestion is to “confront the sprawl of cities, suburbs, and exurbs.” Surprisingly, CAP’s suggestions don’t include confronting the top driver of sprawl: population growth. This is where NumbersUSA’s analysis helps fill in the gaps:

“Between 2002 and 2017 (the period of the most recent government data), the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service identified around 17,800 square miles of new sprawl. That means 17,800 square miles of natural and agricultural land were converted during that period into developed land for residential, commercial, industrial, transportation, and other purposes. 67% of rural land loss was related to population growth. 33% of rural land loss was related to growth of developed land per resident resulting from all other factors.”
– NumbersUSA

Federal immigration policy is the overwhelming driver of America’s current population growth, and federal immigration policy is projected to drive nearly all future population growth.

In order to confront sprawl at its source, support efforts to reduce immigration to a level America can sustain.

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Take action: Tell Congress that a sensible immigration policy is compatible with conservation.

Explore more: Conservation Challenges, Sustainability Initiative, Our Studies

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