When a renewable energy company started razing thousands of Joshua trees this month to make way for a sprawling solar farm, it kicked up a firestorm of outrage among Mojave Desert residents and activists.

Climate scientists predict that by the end of the century, western Joshua trees will be able to survive on only 10% to 25% of the land they now inhabit. And, as the Mojave and Colorado deserts continue to grow hotter and drier, the succulents will probably disappear almost entirely from Southern California — including from Joshua Tree National Park.

Among other barriers to relocation, western Joshua trees rely on a single species of yucca moth to pollinate them. They also require a unique, underground network of fungi that shuttle nutrients to the trees. And scientists say there may be other species the plants rely on that they haven’t identified yet.

Scientists, state officials and tribes are still debating details of the conservation plan, but the Department of Fish and Wildlife isn’t waiting to act. One of the first steps in creating ecological fortresses around Joshua tree refugia is to ensure that the state either owns the land or has permission to perform conservation work there. In 2023, the department completed its first land acquisition with the nonprofit Native American Land Conservancy.