The Landscape Conservation Cooperative Network - A continental structure for collaborative science and conservation planning at landscape scales

Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) are applied conservation science partnerships comprised of federal and state agencies, tribes, NGOs, academic institutions, and private organizations.  Each of the 22 LCCs is a self-directed partnership that functions as part of an international LCC Network with the intention of providing shared data, products, and conservation tools to link conservation delivery and outcomes continentally.  The vision of the LCC Network is landscapes capable of sustaining natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. To meet that vision, LCCs develop and provide integrated science-based information; develop shared, landscape-level conservation objectives; facilitate the exchange of applied science in the implementation of conservation strategies; monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of LCC conservation strategies; and develop appropriate linkages that connect the LCCs. To facilitate landscape scale conservation within their geographies LCCs develop a variety of strategic planning approaches and products.  LCC projects include population and habitat evaluation; vulnerability assessments; conservation planning; data acquisition and development; and decision support tools, among others. Partners in the LCCs are sharing resources (data, scientific capacity, funding) and identifying shared priorities and related science needs for landscape conservation. Key challenges include developing science, information, and tools that are regionally-relevant yet compatible, interoperable, and scalable across LCC geographies. To address this challenge science staff from all 22 LCCs function as a community of practice; funding is targeted to identify and meet multi-LCC and network-wide science needs; and efforts are underway to collaboratively develop an LCC Network science agenda.