EcoFlight uses small aircraft to provide the aerial perspective to educate and advocate for our remaining wildlands, watersheds, and culturally important landscapes. From the air, we connect stakeholders with differing viewpoints to advance our goals of conservation and environmental justice.
All of EcoFlight’s work embodies the goals of the 30×30 campaign, inspired and funded by The Wyss Campaign for Nature, to secure 30% marine and terrestrial protection by the year 2030. This target is the minimum percentage of land and water that the US needs to place into conservation status in order to protect critical ecosystems.
There is not just one path to this conservation. Finding diverse and innovative ways to protect landscapes that will support local communities and preserve the land’s specific values will be critical in achieving this 30×30 goal, while upholding the sovereignty of tribal nations. EcoFlight will use the aerial perspective as a critical tool in this campaign and to highlight the incremental steps towards achieving it.
In terms of equity and diversity, EcoFlight has refocused passenger inclusivity in recent years to ensure that underserved communities are a priority to advance conservation solutions in their landscapes. For example, Chaco Historical National Park, the Four Corners region, and southeastern Utah are all areas where tribal voices and involvement are critical. In the Los Angeles basin and San Joaquin Valley it is imperative that Latinx are part of the solution in conversations and changing policies. The aerial perspective allows an understanding of the cultural, spiritual and economic involvement of diverse communities in their land and waters.
EcoFlight is striving to build and maintain a highly inclusive culture that celebrates the diversity of our partners, passengers and board.
Diversity will help conservation advocates
• attack environmental problems from multiple perspectives;
• increase focus on environmental justice;
• increase support for the movement by widening its constituents.
EcoFlight is committed to examining our accessibility to all communities, both in terms of enhancing our messaging and outreach so that underserved communities know we are available for their conservation campaigns. EcoFlight understands that diversity on all levels will positively affect the health of conservation campaigns and the health of future generations in our community.