Secretary Haaland signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with nine other agency heads to promote “equitable access to nature in nature-deprived communities” by promoting “locally led conservation” including more parks, urban forests, conservation areas, tree cover, beaches, and other locally accessible places. A 2021 White House report found that “discrimination and segregation in housing, transportation” and other areas has led to “inequitable access to the outdoors,” while communities of color and low-income communities bear a disproportionate share of “nature’s decline.” The MOU states that the projects will be guided by science, evidence, and “as appropriate, Indigenous Knowledge.”
Federal Environmental Justice Tracker