Unwise development threatens the future of Joshua trees

By Jacob Mull, especially for CalMatters

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People all over the world come to visit the arid and bleak Mojave Desert to look at the magnificent towers known as Joshua trees.

I got to know them up close through a field botany course at Cal Poly. I was immediately captivated by these tough icons—hardy survivors who have endured millennia of blistering heat—only to learn that even the bravest symbols of tenacity have a breaking point.

Although they remain shining beacons of Mojave cultural identity today, environmental extremes and encroaching human activity threaten to leave these ancient pillars gone by the dawn of the next century.

Most of the range of Joshua trees is found in the Mojave Desert. Although this region is expansive, continued human expansion threatens the remaining habitat.

The communities surrounding Joshua Tree National Park benefit greatly from the tourism it offers. Only in 2024. The park’s 3 million visitors spent $179 milliongenerating $214 million in economic benefits for area communities.

Nevertheless, these communities must tread carefully or their main attraction may disappear.

A few big ones solar farms and projects for the extraction of rare earth elements are available in the region, which could destroy thousands of Joshua trees.

For example, a solar project approved near Boron will result in the removal of 4,200 Joshua trees. And a rare-earth mining project being considered just outside Joshua Tree National Park would desecrate 32 square miles of Joshua tree habitat if implemented.

Although these projects will increase renewable energy, bringing many “green” benefits to communities, they should not bring such severe environmental damage.

In addition to these threats, Joshua trees also struggle with deteriorating environmental conditions. There have been record droughts in recent years pushed the Joshua trees beyond their capabilitiesalthough they are well adapted to the burning sands of the Mojave. Climate change projections hint at even more catastrophic droughts and heat waves for years to come.

Joshua trees typically take at least 30 years to mature, so their environment will likely became inhospitable before many of them could adapt. If trends continue, Joshua trees could reach the brink of extinction by 2100.

If that happens, the damage won’t stop there.

Twenty-five species of birds rely on Joshua trees, along with such rare species as pale blue polka dot butterfly and on desert tortoise. Even in the seemingly lifeless Mojave, the ecosystem is like that vibrant and interconnected. Without the Joshua trees, most of these species could not survive.

Beyond the natural elements of the Mojave, some local communities are likely to collapse without ecotourism to support their economy.

Joshua trees have been around since the late Ice Age, when they relied on giant ground sloths to disperse their seeds. Unfortunately, sloths went extinct about 13,000 years ago, leaving Joshua trees as ecological ghosts ever since.

As Earth once again goes through a major transition period, it is up to us to lend a hand. To ensure that the ecosystem remains intact, businesses and localities must remain cautious in future development while making Joshua trees a top priority.

On an individual level, we need to support local nonprofits like the Mojave Desert Land Trust, which seeks innovative solutions and recognizes the role nature plays in our livelihoods and well-being.

Reflecting on my incredible botanical field trip to Joshua Tree National Park, I realized that it wasn’t just the trees that left an impression, but the complex web of life that found its way through such a harsh landscape.

Many people never get the chance to see Joshua trees in their lifetime. If current trends continue, eventually no one will. To ensure that these ecological wonders do not disappear forever, we must protect the Joshua trees and the Mojave Desert.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and is republished under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives license.