Developing Strategies to Conserve, Connect, and Restore 30% of Michigan's Great Lakes Coastal and Open Waters by 2030

The Michigan the Beautiful initiative aligns with the United Nations' goal of protecting 30% of land and water by 2030. More than 100 countries have committed to this 30 × 30 goal in an effort to address growing threats to local ecosystems and biodiversity. In 2023, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) launched Michigan the Beautiful, the state's tailored version of the international and national call to action. Led by a partnership between DNR and The Nature Conservancy (TNC), this effort engages rights holders and others potentially affected by potential stewardship actions or protection. The University of Michigan Water Center and team members from the U-M School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), working with a SEAS Master’s project team, collaborated with the Michigan the Beautiful initiative to focus on the Great Lakes components of the work. The project team conducted an extensive literature and document review, interviewed 48 individuals, and held focus groups with agency staff, researchers, local leaders, Tribal staff, and other key stakeholders and rights holders. This research identified opportunities to strengthen coastal resilience and proposed actionable recommendations to guide DNR and TNC in integrating Great Lakes conservation into statewide planning for Michigan the Beautiful. This is the first assessment of what implementing Michigan the Beautiful could mean for the Great Lakes.

Project Team

• Project Leads: Dr. Jennifer Read, retired after serving as University of Michigan Water Center Director; Dr. Mike Shriberg, University of Michigan Water Center and School for Environment & Sustainability
• Mr. Shannon Brines, University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability
• Josephine McCarthy, University of Michigan Water Center
• SEAS MS Master’s Student Team Members: AiLi Pigott, Alicia Echeveste, Cailin Young, Calvin Floyd, Longyu Xue (Ciara), Lauren Talbot

Products

• Final Report (194MB PDF)

Publications

• Journal of Great Lakes Research: Michigan the Beautiful: Developing Strategies to Conserve, Connect, and Restore 30% of Michigan's Great Lakes by 2030

Resources

• Governor Whitmer accepts invitation to join White House initiative
• A New Global Framework for Managing Nature Through 2030: 1st Detailed Draft Agreement Debuts - United Nations Sustainable Development
• America the Beautiful | U.S. Department of the Interior
• Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)
• Why we need 30x30: Protect 30% of land & water by 2030
• Higgens et al 2021- Durable Freshwater Protection: A Framework Establishing and Maintaining Long-Term Protection for Freshwater Ecosystems and the Values They Sustain
• Pathway for Inland waters in the 30 by 30 target – Discussion document
• Durable Freshwater Protection - The Nature Conservancy