Conserving large landscapes takes collaboration. It also takes grit and resilience. Somebody has to get up every morning and make it a priority to bring stakeholders together. Honesty, integrity, and vision are also necessary to be an effective convener. And large landscape conservation almost always requires a long term commitment and money. The Pennsylvania Conservation Landscapes are a model of how collaborative conservation can be successful over time. Learn more.
About Us
The Living Landscape Observer is a website, blog and monthly e-newsletter that offers commentary and information on the emerging field of large landscape conservation. Want to get involved and share your views?
Pennsylvania's Conservation Landscapes: A Success Story
Pennsylvania’s Conservation Landscapes program was launched more than a decade ago to connect people to the Commonwealth’s rich heritage of parks and forests. Today with seven designated regions, it is a model of landscape scale resource management. A recent study looks at the critical ingredients for its success and makes recommendations for the future of the program.
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt joined President Trump at a press conference to announce sweeping changes to the National Environmental Policy Act. Image: DOI
Washington Watch Update
It's been a busy few months in Washington. We have updates on the President's proposed budget, sweeping changes to the National Environmental Policy Act, and ongoing vacancies at the National Park Service.
The Wet Tropics of Queensland (1988) is a World Heritage natural site with a complex history - as a traditional indigenous landscape later used for farming and grazing and now wind energy production. North Queensland, AU.
Photo: Jane Lennon
Fifth Nature Culture Dialogue
In the latest dialogue, Dr. Jane Lennon draws on her many years of experience in Australia to address the challenges of managing landscapes with natural and cultural values. The devastating impact of the recent fires has raised the stakes on achieving resource conservation through integrated management of the landscape to preserve culture and nature in a more sustainable manner.
The Cultural Landscape Foundation features a summary of the Federal management plans for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase - Escalante and the news is not good.
Dr. Toshiyuki Kono President of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), announced that in collaboration with CyArk and Google Arts & Culture,ICOMOS has launched Heritage on the Edge. This
new online experience that stresses the gravity of the climate crisis through the lens of five UNESCO World Heritage Sites. You can explore over 50 online exhibits, 3-D models, and Street View tours, and watch interviews with local professionals and members of affected communities.
