The Landscape Conservation Bulletin
A bi-monthly publication of the Network  for 
Landscape Conservation
November 2017
Dear Network Friends and Partners,


Landscape conservation is about listening to other people...about sparking genuine collaboration that builds trust and civility...about leveraging the "explosion" of data an d science...about capturing the stories of the land and its people.
 
These thoughts and many others were shared during the National Forum on Landscape Conservation we convened in November. Practitioners across the country and continent gathered to discuss the emergence of collaborative conservation at scale and key pathways forward if we are to fulfill the promise of this approach to getting conservation done.
 
The Forum was full of energy, and reflected the passion and commitment that this community invests in the landscapes we each call home. Videos of plenary sessions are already available for viewing and a report on the proceedings is forthcoming. We hope these inspire you, offer new insights, and help continue our collective conversation on how to protect the cultural and natural landscapes that sustain us all.

 

Bob Bendick
Director, Gulf of Mexico Program
The Nature Conservancy 
Network Co-Chair



Julie Regan
Chief, External Affairs, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
Network Co-Chair



Banner photo: West Shore, Lake Tahoe. Photo credit: Drone  Publications,  courtesy of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
In This Issue
Panelists discuss the High Divide Collaborative during the National Forum.
Featured News
NLC convenes National Forum on Landscape Conservation

In early November, the Network for Landscape Conservation was honored to convene 200 landscape conservation practitioners from across North America at the National Forum on Landscape Conservation. The two-day Forum brought together private landowners, local community leaders, cultural heritage and urban conservation advocates, ecologists, climate change experts, and many others from across diverse sectors and geographies to explore the current state of landscape conservation. In far-ranging discussions that identified many challenges and opportunities and revealed countless stories of inspiration and innovation, practitioners worked to identify what we all can do together and in our own landscapes to shape this essential practice and ensure a healthy, sustainable future for wildlife and people.

We will be sharing a report in late January that distills key takeaways from the Forum. For now, we hope the videos of the plenary sessions will encourage you to reflect on your work and share your stories and insights with us; this is an on-going strategic conversation as we all work together to build an effective and enduring community of practice. 


Featured News
Healthy landscapes increasingly recognized as essential to climate mitigation -- but little mitigation funding focused on land management

After hurricanes and wildfires captured headlines this fall, the impacts of climate change are at the forefront of many minds. Two recent publications highlight the potential of healthy and interconnected landscapes as powerful mitigating forces against climate change. A newly-issued Woods Hole Research Center policy brief argues that while a rapid decarbonization of the global economy remains essential, aggressive action to reduce emissions from the land sector - protecting and restoring forests and promoting sustainable agriculture and land use - can buy additional time for this transition. A new study in PNAS (summary or full paper) likewise draws attention to "natural climate solutions," suggesting that improved global land stewardship - conserving and restoring wild habitats and practicing more sustainable farming - is critically important to achieving climate mitigation targets. However, both of these publications note the limited political attention and funding given to forests and land use in the global climate response. For instance, the PNAS study authors note only 2.5% of the global climate mitigation budget is directed to land management. 

In light of these trends, two additional publications caught our eye: first, a new case study out of the Delaware River Watershed Initiative explores the potential of carbon markets to finance forest protection and management, sharing the story of a 1,300-acre conservation deal financed through carbon credits and providing key lessons for successful use of the carbon market. Second, a new report highlights the creation of Forest Resilience Bonds as an innovative new financing mechanism for proactive management and stewardship for forest health, especially in landscapes prone to wildfire.   

Featured News
New report highlights insights and best practices for collaborative landscape conservation using network models 

As landscape conservation has emerged in recent decades, practitioners have wrestled with questions of governance in seeking to work collaboratively across sectors and jurisdictions. Networks have emerged as a powerful and widely-used strategy for structuring landscape conservation efforts. A new report out of the Texas Hill Country Conservation Network explores in-depth the relevancy of network structures to the practice of landscape conservation. The report identifies various types of network structures frequently used in landscape conservation efforts, and additionally draws out broadly applicable insights and best practices around the use of networks to advance the practice of landscape conservation. The report concludes with profiles of six examples of network governance structures in action.

Perspectives: Landscape Conservation in Action 
The story of the Santa Cruz Mountains Stewardship Network offers insights into region-wide, cross-sector approaches to conservation

The Santa Cruz Mountain Stewardship Network is a region-wide and cross-sector collaboration in the mountain region south of San Francisco; the 19 member organizations have come together around a common goal of working to cultivate a resilient, vibrant region where human and natural systems thrive for generations to come. Formed in 2014, the Network was the focus of a case study written by Converge for Impact that was published in late September. The case study shares the story of the Network's first two years - exploring obstacles that were encountered and overcome, lessons learned, and challenges ahead - and also seeks to distill insights and takeaways that are broadly applicable. This in-depth case study represents a valuable resource for practitioners in the very early stages of launching a cross-sector and collaborative conservation approach as well as practitioners that are well-established in their efforts. 



Additional Landscape Conservation News

Ecosystem Workforce Program report released evaluating the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) and the Joint Chiefs' Landscape Restoration Partnership (JCLRP), two U.S. Forest Service initiatives designed to accelerate cross-boundary, collaborative, integrative restoration
Read the  one-page summary or the full report

Y2Y interactive map highlights 20 example projects that demonstrate collaborative approaches to achieving successes around wildlife and people co-existence
 
More than 130 diverse organizations in the western U.S. unite around principles to achieve rural economic health and a productive agriculture sector, to provide for human needs, and to protect the landscapes in which we live and work
Read a news article and explore the principles

"Routes & Roots: Enterprise Healthy Rivers Project," a $30 million, five-year partnership between The Nature Conservancy and Enterprise Rent-a-Car launched to improve rivers and regional watersheds across North America and Europe

Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition survey of practitioners in the American west captures insights and best practices for the practice of "all-lands management"

New Ecosystem Services paper highlights "cultural ecosystem services" and suggests a framework for evaluating and incorporating these into ecosystem services assessments

Article in Wired explores how human activity is changing animal migration patterns

Broad-scale conservation assessment for vascular plants completed for the North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative

Experience or evidence? Mongabay article offers nuanced exploration of use of evidence-based decision making in conservation work
Read the piece

Inaugural "Half-Earth Day" celebrated, calling attention to the importance of habitat connectivity and wildlife corridors
Read more here and here 

Researchers work to project dispersal routes for grizzly bears to connect isolated populations in the Northern Rockies

Small fish, big system: Looking at the Prince William Sound herring population to understand how resilient, interconnected, and unpredictable marine ecosystems are

Framework published to guide community-driven climate resilience planning

Opinion piece in Ensia: as communities rebuild after disaster, we must keep nature in mind

New TNC report explores opportunities provided by existing U.S. regulatory programs to improve stream health by removing barriers to aquatic connectivity
Read the report


Upcoming Conferences & Opportunities

systematic review of connectivity conservation plans was recently initiated, with the study team looking t o assess how well wildlife corridor  conservation plans are implemented. Click here for more information on how to submit conservation plans for the study and on  how to join the study as a collaborator. 

Troutdale, OR 

Tulalip, WA

Santiago, Chile 

Fort Collins, CO

Webinars & Additional Resources


A Conservation Biology Institute webinar
December 14, 2017

A weekly podcast that explores the challenges presented by adapting to climate change and the approaches the field's best minds believe are already working.
The Network for Landscape Conservation is the community of practice for practitioners advancing collaborative, cross-boundary conservation as an essential approach to protect nature, community, and culture in the 21st Century.


Contact Emily Bateson, Network Coordinator, for more information. 

Contributions of news, upcoming events, and resources for future Bulletins are welcomed. We welcome too inquires for future "Perspectives: Landscapes Conservation in Action" stories; please be in touch if you are interested in sharing stories and insights from your work.