Shaping the Future of the South Atlantic Region with the Conservation Blueprint

The South Atlantic LCC’s Conservation Blueprint is a spatially explicit, living plan describing the places and actions needed to achieve the Cooperative’s shared vision of the future.  The Blueprint incorporates natural and cultural resource indicators for terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems to measure progress toward that common goal in the face of future changes like sea level rise and urbanization.  Partners have already successfully used the Blueprint to guide conservation action and investment across the geography.  Examples include the project leader for the Francis Marion National Forest Plan revision, a senior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist reviewing a National Coastal Wetlands Grant Program application, and a National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration employee proposing a Habitat Blueprint Focus Area.  Cooperative staff members continue to engage other potential Blueprint users, working with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to deliver National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative quail habitat focus areas and helping the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council implement ecosystem-based management through the Fishery Ecosystem Plan revision.  Each success story and ongoing collaboration also represents a unique learning experience.  User feedback provides critical insight to guide the transition from expert-driven Blueprint 1.0 to data-driven Blueprint 2.0, scheduled for release in June 2015.  Soliciting structured feedback from conservation practitioners across the Southeast enables the South Atlantic LCC to refine both the Blueprint’s content and its interface.  Through a transparent process, a science-based plan, and a user-friendly product, the Cooperative intends the Blueprint to eventually become a "gold standard" for large landscape conservation tools.