Climate-Smart Landscape Conservation Design

Co-authors: Genevieve Johnson, Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative; Sally Holl, Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative

The Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative’s “Climate-Smart” approach to landscape conservation design emphasizes developing shared strategies for adapting to changing conditions.  By working together to integrate, or “mainstream,” adaptation into our existing activities, we can have a collective impact on sustaining ecosystem function and services and conserving natural resources for people and wildlife across the landscape. In addition to federal and state agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and universities in the U.S. and Mexico, the Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative is working with organizations representing local governments and private landowners. We are developing an ecosystem stewardship approach to landscape conservation, integrating ecological sustainability as a basis for biodiversity conservation and human well-being. Working with a broad spectrum of organizations representing a diversity of perspectives and interests requires a well-paced, transparent process that will allow us to build the capacity and tools that enhance the ability of our participants make flexible, “no-regrets” decisions in keeping with a long-term perspective that incorporates landscape conservation design. We are building the trust, relationships, processes, capacity, and tools necessary to create a foundation for landscape conservation planning that can lead to effective landscape conservation designs by using integrative approaches that encourage knowledge exchange and solutions to emerge.