Landscapes: Conference Summary

Go big to get it done. That was the sentiment of conservation leaders from across the country at New York’s National Museum of American Indian.

More than 125 conservation professionals, advocates, scientists, planners, philanthropists, and government officials gathered to discuss the ways and means of accelerating large landscape conservation in the 13-state Northeast megaregion. Large landscape conservation refers to public and private collaborations that look beyond political boundaries and property lines to achieve their goals. It’s a growing trend, as highlighted in RPA’s recent report1 on the 165 landscape conservation initiatives operating in the Northeast megaregion. Local land trusts, municipal officials, national conservation organizations, and public agencies are looking to work together to protect land and water and address critical challenges to conservation – urban growth, creation of transportation and energy infrastructure, and climate change – with fewer staff and financial resources.

The by-invitation event was intended to help improve this practice, and to start discussions on formulating a common agenda for the northeast and the nation. The conference program featured 36 speakers and 14 plenary panels and workshops on critical topics such as conserving fish and wildlife population in a changing climate; establishing market-based conservation programs to protect water quality; finding resources in an era of diminished government support; and setting priorities for urban ecosystems.

While the day’s conversations touched on many aspects of landscape conservation, a few key themes emerged in the workshop discussions and interactive polling. It is critical to create leadership capacity at large landscape initiatives. A primary goal should be the development of strategic conservation plans that engage local government and private landowners. Their narratives should speak to the concerns of local residents and decisions makers and set the stage for effective interaction with local land use plans and large infrastructure proposals. These plans can also create a vehicle for communicating the latest science on climate resiliency to diverse stakeholders in a way that makes it relevant to their concerns.

For additional information on the America 2050 project, visit the archived America 2050 website.