Uploaded September 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
Could Joshua Trees go extinct? Under current climate scenarios, it's a very real possibility. Joshua Trees are icons of the Mojave Desert, but climate change is rapidly shrinking the habitat they have available to grow. And, even at higher elevations, where Joshua Trees can escape some of the worst effects, invasive grasses are making even these "refugia" susceptible to large-scale fires, the likes of which Joshua Trees have never adapted to. Throw in threats from private development (including renewable energy installations), and you've pretty much got a worst case scenario for Joshua Trees by the end of the century. Some estimates say they could lose 90% of their habitat by that time, including nearly all of it within Joshua Tree National Park. In this video, I dive into all these threats, along with some of the ways these threats are being addressed, and ultimately dive into the question of whether or we can still expect to see Joshua Trees at all...
Support me on Patreon: patreon.com/nationalparkdiaries
Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/nationalparkdiaries
Sources and Resources:
npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2023/09/07/1196581569/climate-change-wildfire-joshua-tree-mojave-national-preserve
latimes.com/california/story/2023-08-17/joshua-tree-national-park-devastation
web.archive.org/web/20230802002254/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-04/joshua-trees-climate-change-desert-jim-cornett
web.archive.org/web/20230804000932/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-08-03/california-joshua-trees-are-burning-in-desert-fire
web.archive.org/web/20230804045840/https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2020-09-22/western-joshua-trees-granted-temporary-endangered-species-protections
kcet.org/redefine/are-there-2-species-of-joshua-trees
desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2023/03/10/joshua-trees-rejected-for-federal-endangered-species-act-listing/69989860007
web.archive.org/web/20230713141516/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-07-11/new-joshua-tree-law-imposes-fees-on-desert-developers
biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/california-legislature-passes-joshua-tree-protection-law-2023-06-27/?_gl=1*10czrhw*_gcl_au*NDkxNzQ5OTc1LjE2OTUwNjYyNjI
npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17628032
theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/10/joshua-tree-extinct-mojave-desert-climate-change
web.archive.org/web/20111025113005/http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs_other/rmrs_2011_cole_k001.pdf
irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/628349
youtube.com/watch?v=EZdMWqaPvg4
youtu.be/cDtOJO5FKGo?si=kePepuxZjlmbJ_lq
nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=67358#:~:text=Joshua%20Tree%20habitats%20occur%20in,Matyas%201981%2C%20Turner%201982
fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/yucbre/all.html
Images and Music:
Storyblocks
NPS (Peri Sasnett, Brad Sutton)
Digital Desert
Smith et al, 2008
USFWS (Tony McKinney)
LA Times
AP (Ringo H.W. Chiu and Ty O'Neill)
Macaulay Library (Andrew Spencer)
Wikimedia Commons (LA Dawson)
Could Joshua Trees go extinct? Under current climate scenarios, it's a very real possibility. Joshua Trees are icons of the Mojave Desert, but climate change is rapidly shrinking the habitat they have available to grow. And, even at higher elevations, where Joshua Trees can escape some of the worst effects, invasive grasses are making even these "refugia" susceptible to large-scale fires, the likes of which Joshua Trees have never adapted to. Throw in threats from private development (including renewable energy installations), and you've pretty much got a worst case scenario for Joshua Trees by the end of the century. Some estimates say they could lose 90% of their habitat by that time, including nearly all of it within Joshua Tree National Park. In this video, I dive into all these threats, along with some of the ways these threats are being addressed, and ultimately dive into the question of whether or we can still expect to see Joshua Trees at all...
Support me on Patreon: patreon.com/nationalparkdiaries
Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/nationalparkdiaries
Sources and Resources:
npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2023/09/07/1196581569/climate-change-wildfire-joshua-tree-mojave-national-preserve
latimes.com/california/story/2023-08-17/joshua-tree-national-park-devastation
web.archive.org/web/20230802002254/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-04/joshua-trees-climate-change-desert-jim-cornett
web.archive.org/web/20230804000932/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-08-03/california-joshua-trees-are-burning-in-desert-fire
web.archive.org/web/20230804045840/https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2020-09-22/western-joshua-trees-granted-temporary-endangered-species-protections
kcet.org/redefine/are-there-2-species-of-joshua-trees
desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2023/03/10/joshua-trees-rejected-for-federal-endangered-species-act-listing/69989860007
web.archive.org/web/20230713141516/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-07-11/new-joshua-tree-law-imposes-fees-on-desert-developers
biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/california-legislature-passes-joshua-tree-protection-law-2023-06-27/?_gl=1*10czrhw*_gcl_au*NDkxNzQ5OTc1LjE2OTUwNjYyNjI
npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17628032
theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/10/joshua-tree-extinct-mojave-desert-climate-change
web.archive.org/web/20111025113005/http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs_other/rmrs_2011_cole_k001.pdf
irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/628349
youtube.com/watch?v=EZdMWqaPvg4
youtu.be/cDtOJO5FKGo?si=kePepuxZjlmbJ_lq
nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=67358#:~:text=Joshua%20Tree%20habitats%20occur%20in,Matyas%201981%2C%20Turner%201982
fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/yucbre/all.html
Images and Music:
Storyblocks
NPS (Peri Sasnett, Brad Sutton)
Digital Desert
Smith et al, 2008
USFWS (Tony McKinney)
LA Times
AP (Ringo H.W. Chiu and Ty O'Neill)
Macaulay Library (Andrew Spencer)
Wikimedia Commons (LA Dawson)
