On January 27, 2021, newly sworn in President Biden signed a sweeping Executive Orderon Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad that harnesses the full power of the executive branch to execute an ambitious plan. It states that addressing the international climate crisis is an essential element of the United States' foreign policy and national security. The document goes on to set clear targets for all relevant Federal agencies to act on the linked extinction and climate crises.
Embedded within the order are three paragraphs calling for the nation to conserve 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. For years, scientists have championed this initiative to protect biodiversity and mitigate climate change impacts, but only now has the effort gained administration attention and a specific call to action.
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.
It was over five years ago that the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) released “An Evaluation of the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives” (2015), which concluded that a landscape approach is needed to meet the nation’s conservation challenges and that the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) provide a framework for addressing that need. The NAS undertook the study pursuant to a Congressional directive to evaluate the LCC program.
For those not familiar with the LCCs, the initiative was launched by a Department of Interior Secretarial Order in 2009 specifically to enhance the landscape-level approach to conservation. The intent of the Secretarial Order was to design a cooperative effort to bridge jurisdictional boundaries across agencies within DOI, as well as across other federal, state, and tribal agencies and private lands.
In 2017 conservationists gathered at National Geographic Headquarters for an event called “Half Earth Day.”
Half Earth and 30 by 30
Large Landscape Ideas Take Hold
How much of our planet needs to be protected to conserve its biodiversity? Renowned biologist, naturalist, and author E.O. Wilson has proposed that protecting half the planet is the necessary amount of protected marine and land habitats required to save 80 percent of the world’s species. More recently, a global scientific consensus has emerged around a more specific formula - to conserve 30 percent of the planet’s lands and waters by 2030. How can this be achieved?
Listen as the Network for Landscape Conservation hosts a conversation with the award-winning author Tony Hiss on his just-published book, Rescuing the Planet, which offers an optimistic vision of protecting large landscapes. Valerie Courtois, Director of Canada’s Indigenous Leadership Initiative, whose work is featured in the book. also joins the discussion.
Saving America's Amazon
This issue of the Living Landscape Observer is focused on presenting big ideas for conserving the planet. Saving America's Amazon: The Threat to Our Nation's Most Biodiverse River by Ben Raines takes us deep into one special place that needs our attention - the Mobile River system, specifically the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. Beautifully written and illustrated, this book is a testament to why we need to act now and protect this unique landscape. Read the full review here
The Lives of Monuments
Webinar Series
Be sure to check out this upcoming webinar series. Each event brings together scholars, National Park Service rangers, and members of the public to discuss a Revolutionary War monument in a National Park as the starting point for a broader conversation about American identity, memory, and belonging. Links below lead to information on how to register.
The U.S. National Park Service recently shared "By the Numbers" an Annual Report, that showcases the work of the National Heritage Areas during the challenging year of 2020. This is the first year the report includes data from the six NHAs designated in 2019.
