The decision would have been announced as early as this week. Due to the forest fires in California, it has now been postponed until next week when Biden is expected to make the announcement together with representatives of the indigenous peoples, reports The Guardian.
These are the two areas of Chuckwalla and Sáttítla – in southern and northern California respectively. They are together a total of 3,400 square kilometers in size. In comparison, a somewhat larger area than the whole of Gotland.
“Protects important spiritual values”
The areas have been used by several indigenous peoples for centuries.
“The site includes village sites, camps, quarries, food processing sites, power sites, trails, glyphs, and story and song sites, all of which are evidence of the close and spiritual relationship of the Cahuilla people and other tribes to these desert landscapes,” said Erica Schenk, president of the Cahuilla- the people.
US Interior Minister Deb Haaland also hails the decision.
“President Biden’s action today will protect important spiritual and cultural values tied to the land and wildlife. I am so grateful that future generations will have the opportunity to experience what makes this area so unique, she says, according to The Guardian.
Biden’s administration has set a goal of preserving 30 percent of the US’s land and water by 2030. President-elect Donald Trump, on the contrary, has promised that more land areas will be claimed by industry.