How well did the first 30 Groundwater Sustainability Plans submitted account for nature’s needs? A new report by TNC finds that nearly all GSPs have room for improvement.
For most GSAs, achieving groundwater sustainability and fully accounting for nature’s needs in their Plans will be a work in progress. The metrics and scores highlight gaps in GSPs regionally and at the GSA level. These gaps leave nature vulnerable to not having its needs met and could potentially lead to the loss of some of the few remaining groundwater dependent ecosystems. It is our hope that these scores are a starting point and, with time and support, GSAs will build their capacity to better engage environmental stakeholders and incorporate nature into their Plans and management actions.