Large Landscape News

A view of the Cali River from the public “Green Zone” and the Iglesia La Ermita Church constructed from 1930-1948 in the background - CLLC/Aaron Laur

Highlights from the 2024 UN Biodiversity Conference

The recent UN Biodiversity Conference was held under the theme “Peace with Nature.” This 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD/CoP-16) attracted an unprecedented 23,000+ delegates attending official negotiations and side events inside the security perimeter of the “Blue Zone,” while the public “Green Zone” drew approximately 40,000 visitors each day. The Center for Large Landscape Conservation was honored to send four staff members to participate at the conference in Cali, Colombia to continue advancing efforts for connectivity conservation around the world.

Zebra and giraffe in northern Tanzania - Adobe Stock

Connecting an Iconic Landscape in the Transboundary Region of Kenya and Tanzania

Thirty years ago, the Disney movie the Lion King was released, telling the story of Simba, a young lion prince, who, after the murder of his father Mufasa, flees his kingdom only to learn the true meaning of responsibility and bravery. Other memorable characters are the warthog Pumbaa, the red-billed hornbill Zazu, the mandrill Rafiki, and the meerkat Timon—all species that play a role in the richly biodiverse ecosystems of east Africa. Partly because of this movie, and zoo visits, children and adults around the world are familiar with the wildlife of the iconic landscapes of east Africa.

The Center and the Montana Dept. of Transportation Leverage Community Support for a Wildlife Crossing

In early September, the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) applied to the federal Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program for a discretionary grant to help fund a $26-million project that includes a new wildlife overpass, upgrades to an existing underpass, and a bridge retrofit to allow wildlife to pass safely over and beneath US Highway 191 in Southwest Montana. Through the Montana Wildlife and Transportation Partnership, MDT teamed with the Bozeman-based, nonprofit Center for Large Landscape Conservation to move the grant application forward. US-191 parallels the Gallatin River, cutting through critical habitat for resident, wide-ranging, and migratory species in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Catalyst Fund: Supporting Collaboration in Landscape Conservation

Last month the Network for Landscape Conservation announced the latest round of Catalyst Fund grant awards, with 15 Landscape Partnerships receiving support to accelerate their efforts to protect the ecological, cultural, and community values of the landscapes they call home. Even as unprecedented levels of public funds have been directed towards the restoration, stewardship, and conservation of our lands and waters in recent years, the influx of project delivery funding has only served to underscore a gap that needs to be filled: the on-the-ground capacity to get the work done. The Catalyst Fund aims to build capacity and help local Landscape Partnerships contribute toward achieving national conservation goals.

Euromab2024 Deutsche Unesco Kommission Stefanie Wetzel

Reflections on EuroMAB: Stimulating Connectivity Conservation in Biosphere Regions Worldwide

Many of us are familiar with Biosphere 2, the research facility created in Arizona to demonstrate the viability of closed ecological systems to support and maintain human life in outer space. However, biosphere regions are model landscapes for sustainable development through collaboration and engagement. They are places designated for their unique beauty and biodiversity, and also recognized for their value to the communities of people living there, making them ideal models for large landscape conservation. The Center for Large Landscape Conservation’s Senior Conservation Scientist Dr. Annika Keeley recently had the opportunity to attend and present at EuroMAB—an international gathering of biosphere region leaders—to discuss the critical role connectivity conservation plays in these extraordinary places.

Sonoran Pronghorn: Reconnecting Habitat for the Endangered “Desert Ghost”

What does wildlife know of human-made borders? Often, not much; animals generally navigate landscapes without regard for county, state, or country lines—unless impacted by factors such as hunting pressure or habitat loss. Human-made lines on a map don’t necessarily affect wildlife. But what about roads and fences—physical barriers that interrupt their paths? In the case of the endangered Sonoran pronghorn, these barriers are stark realities that threaten their long-term survival.

Eco-anxiety: How to Recharge and Re-engage

Turn on the news. Peruse a national newspaper. Listen to a podcast. They broadcast a singular message: the world is on fire. Ecosystem collapse. Record droughts. Mass extinction. If it isn’t in your backyard yet or permeating your daily conversations, well the times they are a-changin’.

First-Ever Northeastern North America / Turtle Island Landscape Connectivity Summit

Stretching from the rolling Appalachian Mountains to the rugged Atlantic coastline, the landscapes of Northeastern North America feature bustling population centers, recreational havens and productive farms and timberlands as well as vast forests, abundant freshwater and impressive biodiversity. These are some of the most socio-ecologically complex landscapes in the world, increasingly recognized as critical for ecological integrity and climate adaptation at the continental and even global scale.

Young male lion in Kafue National Park - Adobe Stock

A Road Runs Through It

At the heart of the Greater Kafue Ecosystem in Western Zambia is the 22,000-square-kilometer Kafue National Park. This is Zambia’s oldest and largest park, at twice the size of Yellowstone National Park in the USA. Kafue is home to a wide range of iconic wildlife, including elephants, lions, leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs, and Africa’s most diverse antelope community. This protected area faces many significant threats, but most concerning is the M9—a high-speed highway that bisects or borders 143 kilometers of the park and adjacent Mumbwa Game Management Area. The M9 is notorious for wildlife-vehicle collisions, including the death of 11 endangered African wild dogs to vehicle collisions in 2022. But the Center for Large Landscape Conservation is working to change this with a newly launched project.

USBN Launches Biweekly Biosphere Bites Virtual Seminar Series

On March 13th, the US Biosphere Network (USBN) launched the “Biosphere Bites” biweekly seminar series. The 30-minute talks take place every other week on ZOOM to give biosphere regions and partners an opportunity to share knowledge, ideas, and resources across our national and international networks. These informal, virtual presentations are designed to connect the USBN to local, regional, and international partners and highlight the important work that is being done in biosphere regions to improve the human connection to nature and make progress towards the sustainable development goals.