The Mojave National Preserve is a significant hotspot for biodiversity, with one conservationist calling it the “crown jewel” of the deserts of Southern California. Joshua trees only gcrow in the Desert Southwest and far northwestern Mexico, and one of the densest Joshua tree forests is within the burn area, Cody Hanford, executive director of the Mojave Desert Land Trust, told CNN.

“We’re looking at sad outcomes for potentially millions of Joshua trees,” Hanford said. “The fire is dramatically affecting the vegetation landscape.”

In Southern California, a massive wildfire is burning through the Mojave Desert Preserve — threatening endangered Joshua trees. The cause of the York Fire is under investigation.

MDLT Joint Executive Director Cody Hanford spoke to NPR’s Caleigh Wells about how climate change is impacting species in protected areas such as Mojave National Preserve where the York Fire has burned over 80,000 acres. MDLT owns over 560 areas within the York Fire burn zone and has protected 28,000 acres of the Preserve since 2006.

When Corina Godoy, a native-plant specialist with the Mojave Desert Land Trust, invited me on a hike into the desert near Joshua Tree, I said yes. That’s me being more open. Cultivating curiosity. Yes, yes, yes. Plus, another superbloom.

From a trailhead south of town, we headed up a dusty wash. It quickly became apparent that superbloom is a relative term. We did not arrive at dense carpets of orange poppies. We did walk among Joshua trees, their branch tips sprouting light-green buds. And there were plenty of flowers, their colors extravagant against the sandy-hued hillsides: yellow tickseed, desert golden poppies, pink wild hyacinth.

The Joshua trees, an integral part of California's Mojave Desert landscape, with their characteristic spiky leaves and unique branches, are locked in a desperate battle for survival. Increasingly severe droughts driven by climate change, habitat fragmentation due to expanding residential and commercial real estate development, and heightened wildfires all pose dire threats to this iconic and enduring symbol of the U.S. West.

PTS International reporter Harry Chang reported, "The Mojave Desert, which straddles the borders of four states in the southwest of the United States and is about twice the size of Taiwan, is full of gravel and strange-shaped plants, although the rolling yellow sand cannot be seen. But it has a certain effect on the ecological balance of the earth.”

“Seed banks are a crucial tool for the conservation and management of ecosystems and the preservation of regional biodiversity, helping us safeguard our flora against species extinction and restore habitats and ecosystems with genetically-appropriate, source-identified seed. This project will expand MDLT's seed bank program and allow us, along with our partners, to better address the region's seed needs and the growing threats caused by climate change and habitat loss,” said Madena Asbell, Director of Plant Conservation Programs at the Mojave Desert Land Trust.