Junko Hoshi is a Regional Conservation Planner at the Science Institute at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Over the past years, she has collaborated to advance ecosystem conservation through various venues, including the CA Biodiversity Council, Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA.) She led the development of the California State Wildlife Action Plan 2015 Update (SWAP 2015) and managed the SWAP Program and SB34 Advance Mitigation Land Acquisition Grant Program, through which extensive pristine lands in California deserts become perpetually protected before development. Her recent engagement as an author includes AFWA’s national guidance to integrate climate adaptation into SWAPs; she is currently developing the CA SWAP 2025.
Junko’s passion for nature goes back to her first memory of harvesting wild raspberries in a forest near her home in Tokyo. Urban sprawl has engorged the forest and transformed the land into a forest of buildings in just two years, except for areas protected under the city codes. This experience eventually led to changing her career from an engineer/mathematician to a conservation planner. She is aware that personal interactions with nature from an early age transform the lives of individuals as well as the conservation outlook of the natural heritage.
For Junko, binoculars are a tool for looking at plants first. Roadrunners never fail to uplift her spirit and remind her to take things easier. Drylands have a special spot in her heart, especially water in deserts. How could it be possible that so many desiccated lands are defined by water features? How does a splash of rain bring frenzy blooms in deserts?
Through SJV, she hopes to steward bio and human-rich landscapes across borders, beyond and because of differences, responding to the most significant challenges and opportunities. While collaborating on more logistic elements of ecosystem conservation, Junko still hopes to share nature’s wonder with partners, young and old.