Landscape scale conservation responds to our world's most complex challenges. Issues like energy extraction, sprawl, and climate change cannot be addressed in a fragmentary or piece meal fashion. Bold action is necessary, but so too is collaboration and grit. A national - indeed a global - approach that dispenses with the artificial distinctions between nature and culture is needed to achieve meaningful results.
It is, perhaps, no surprise then that the current administration is doing its best to dismantle a number of Federal programs and partnerships dedicated to landscape scale work. What's worse, this is happening during an unprecedented global health and economic catastrophe. In this month's issue, we provide an update on a suite of actions intended to undercut environmental and cultural resources protection as well as an in-depth look at what's going on with proposed changes to NEPA.
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?
Our collective attention is now riveted on the spread of COVID-19. During this period, very public controversies have erupted over the current administration’s management of visitation to the United States’ National Park system. Under far less scrutiny, however, are a number of potentially catastrophic initiatives underway to dismantle a host of well-established conservation programs.
In January 2020, the Trump administration proposed dramatic changes to the implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a landmark law for both natural and cultural resource protection.
In order to better understand the potential implications of these actions, we interviewed Dr. Tom King, a preservation professional, who has worked with NEPA and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) since before they were enacted in the 1960s.
Jon Weller: Managing the Whole Landscape - History & Environmental Mgmt. in the Southern Gulf Islands
Sixth Nature Culture Dialogue
In this session, Jon Weller, a Living Landscape Observer contributor on Nature and Culture, discusses the challenge of integrating cultural heritage conservation into the Canadian parks and protected area system. He outlined the steps that must be adopted to responsibly care for the cultural elements of a landscape within the paradigm of protected area management.
EcoAgriculture Partners is working on a landscape scale. The organization supports
agricultural communities to enhance rural livelihoods, conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services, and sustainably produce crops, livestock, fish, and fiber.
The Network for Landscape Conservation advances cross border, collaborative conservation as a vital approach to sustain nature culture and community. The organization's Catalyst Fund supports on the ground landscape work. To learn more about the work of the Network and its grant programs to support landscape efforts - watch the video below:
Upcoming Events
At this time, the following conferences are still scheduled to take place. Visit event websites for the latest information.
