Could Joshua Trees Go Extinct?

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: https://www.patreon.com/nationalparkdiaries Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nationalparkdiaries/ Sources and Resources: https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2023/09/07/1196581569/climate-change-wildfire-joshua-tree-mojave-national-preserve https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-08-17/joshua-tree-national-park-devastation https://web.archive.org/web/20230802002254/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-04/joshua-trees-climate-change-desert-jim-cornett https://web.archive.org/web/20230804000932/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-08-03/california-joshua-trees-are-burning-in-desert-fire https://web.archive.org/web/20230804045840/https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2020-09-22/western-joshua-trees-granted-temporary-endangered-species-protections https://www.kcet.org/redefine/are-there-2-species-of-joshua-trees https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2023/03/10/joshua-trees-rejected-for-federal-endangered-species-act-listing/69989860007/ https://web.archive.org/web/20230713141516/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-07-11/new-joshua-tree-law-imposes-fees-on-desert-developers https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/california-legislature-passes-joshua-tree-protection-law-2023-06-27/?_gl=1*10czrhw*_gcl_au*NDkxNzQ5OTc1LjE2OTUwNjYyNjI https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17628032 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/10/joshua-tree-extinct-mojave-desert-climate-change https://web.archive.org/web/20111025113005/http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs_other/rmrs_2011_cole_k001.pdf https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/628349 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZdMWqaPvg4 https://youtu.be/cDtOJO5FKGo?si=kePepuxZjlmbJ_lq https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=67358#:~:text=Joshua%20Tree%20habitats%20occur%20in,Matyas%201981%2C%20Turner%201982 https://www.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)