California state parks and climate change: Overlooking the obvious in a new environmental era

This dissertation examines the significant, but unrecognized, potential of California's Department of Parks and Recreation to meet the challenge of climate change. Land use and land use changes that disturb natural landscapes are recognized as a principal cause of climate change. In California, state parks protect over a million and a half acres from development. Nevertheless, the Department is at the margin of climate discussions without funding or staff to properly address the issue. While California is in the midst of major efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through executive, legislative, and regulatory actions, policy makers have overlooked the obvious, and long-standing, benefits of undisturbed lands protected in parks.;This study was conducted as a qualitative, participatory action research project during my years as a state parks' commissioner. Interviews, attendance at meetings, and field study all demonstrated that the Department's mission to preserve the state's biological diversity, protect its resources, and create opportunities for outdoor recreation make it central to maintaining environmental and human quality of life in this new environmental era. State parks have evolved to address pressing environmental and social challenges, and they are well positioned to help the state mitigate and adapt to climate change. Recommended strategies include acquisition and management of urban area parks to reduce heat island effects, buffer growth, manage fire risk, protect water quality and quantity, and enhance the livability of cities. In addition, expansion and protection of forested parks to store and sequester carbon, maintain biodiversity and aid in species adaptation to climate change are essential actions given the threat presented.;The study produces four courses of action including funding the Department's climate efforts commensurate with its potential, expanding California's responses to climate change by recognizing the value of undisturbed and restored parklands, including parks and other public lands in any state offset program to mitigate climate change, and funding parks to expand their traditional role of public education to encompass climate change.