“…climate change does not respect juridictional boundaries.”
– Hector Galbraith, Director – Climate Change Initiative, Manomet Center for Conservation Studies
Of course, no sooner do I post about colleges and universities collaborating at the bioregional level than I come across this exciting initiative from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: landscape conservation cooperatives.
From the Service’s FAQ sheet:
What are landscape conservation cooperatives?
Landscape conservation cooperatives, or LCCs, are self-directed, applied conservation science partnerships that will drive success at landscape scales. Collectively they create a seamless, national network of interdependent partnerships between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, other federal agencies, states, tribes, NGOs, universities and other entities which will inform resource management decisions to address national-scale stressors, including climate change.
Seeking to “address the impacts of accelerating climate change on wildlife and the habitats upon which they depend,” the Service has pulled together a national collaborative strategy for strategic habitat conservation on the landscape level, seeking to “put the right science in the right places.”
Check out this video (4:08) from the Service’s Northeast Region:
Source: USFWS Northeast Region (If you have trouble viewing the video, you can also visit this page.)
As pointed out in the video, LCCs provide a new institutional framework for addressing ecological issues beyond the state level. The FWS proposed an interim national geographic framework of 21 conservation areas.
Just as flyways have provided an effective spatial frame of reference to build capacity and partnerships for international, national, state and local waterfowl conservation, the national geographic framework will provide a continental platform upon which the Service can work with state and other partners to connect project- and site-specific efforts to larger biological goals and outcomes. By providing visual context for conservation at “landscape” scales — the entire range of a priority species or suite of species — the framework helps ensure that resource managers have the information and decision-making tools they need to conserve fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats in the most efficient and effective way possible.
Source: US Fish & Wildlife Service
From these 21 areas, the Service is forming eight initial LCCs in the following geographic areas: Pacific Islands, Great Plains, Plains and Prairie Potholes, South Atlantic, North Atlantic, Great Northern, California and Arctic.
Working Together for Wildlife — and People
In June 2009, the Service convened the inaugural Conservation Leadership Forum to launch discussions toward the development of the national strategy.
Though the primary objective of the strategy is ensuring abundant, healthy, and distributed populations of fish and wildlife, leaders noted the effort would be tied to a larger goal of improving quality of life for all Americans by providing clean water, clear air and “green” infrastructure critical to sustainable and healthy human communities. While investments in the strategy would be national, the group agreed collaboration and information sharing must extend to the global community. …
Forum participants also agreed the strategy must be developed with an eye toward the future. By 2050, Selzer said, the U.S. population is projected to be mostly urban, minority, and increasingly beset by health issues such as asthma and diabetes. He urged the group to view its conservation work in the larger context of a changing society and articulate a vision that resonates with tomorrow’s audiences.
The LCC brings a valuable approach to coordinating scientific research and for promoting preservation. The Service’s information mentions a “continental” platform, so it will be interesting to see how this initiative integrates research and policy beyond the U.S. borders, as well as how it connects with the efforts of the Wildlands Network. I also wonder what other interdisciplinary collaborations might evolve from this landscape perspective.
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