Large Landscape News

Wild Dogs In The Road - Credit: Zambian Carnivore Programme

From Yellowstone to Zambia: Protecting Safe Passage for Wildlife

Yellowstone National Park in the western United States is a crucial landscape populated by iconic species like bison, wolves, grizzly bears, elk and pronghorn that are part of the largest concentration of wildlife in the lower 48 states. Kafue National Park in Zambia is, similarly, a stronghold of biodiversity and hosts elephants, lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, and antelope, which all roam the vast landscape. Despite being thousands of miles apart, Kafue and Yellowstone share similar challenges: major roadways cut through critical habitat and impact wildlife movement.

Honoring a Visionary: Celebrating Gary Tabor’s Conservation Legacy

The end of 2025 marked the end of an era for the Center for Large Landscape Conservation. On December 31, CLLC’s visionary founder Gary Tabor retired as CEO. He established the organization based on the unwavering conviction that climate change and biodiversity loss were inextricably linked and must be addressed by not only conserving but also connecting habitat at the large-landscape scale.

CCSG Deputy Chair Jodi Hilty (far left) and Chair Gary Tabor (second from right) with the team from CLLC in Romania in 2019

Saving the Spaces in Between: CLLC Promotes International Collaboration for Connectivity

Some of the greatest success stories in conservation are the creation of formally protected areas of land and water such as national parks and reserves. While essential to conserving nature around the world, these areas alone can’t sustain biodiversity if they are isolated patches surrounded by people and infrastructure. Wildlife, especially migratory and wide-ranging species, need connected habitats to find food, water, and mates and adapt to climate change. Safeguarding the natural corridors and movement routes between protected areas forms the basis of connectivity conservation. Yet these critical linkages are increasingly threatened by rapid development and mounting human pressures.

Center for Large Landscape Conservation Announces Brendan Moynahan as New CEO

Today, Dr. Mary Pearl, Board Chair of the Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC), announced that Brendan Moynahan will become the next CEO of CLLC in January 2026, succeeding founder and CEO Gary Tabor. Moynahan is Chief, Wildlife Conservation Branch, National Park Service and a nationally recognized leader in wildlife science, conservation, and policy.

Collaboration in Action: CLLC at the World Conservation Congress

Species extinction… climate change… increasing pollution. There’s no denying our planet is in crisis. So how do we to avert ecosystem collapse and secure the health and well-being of all life on Earth? Held every four years, the IUCN World Conservation Congress (WCC) brings together thousands of conservation leaders to reach consensus on saving the environment and harnessing nature to solve pressing global challenges.

Connecting Communities and Wildlife: A Local Planning Guide

Wildlife don’t stop at city limits, county lines, or property boundaries—and neither should local government planning. The decisions communities make today about how and where to build will shape whether future generations inherit thriving landscapes that sustain people and wildlife alike. That’s why CLLC created a new report on wildlife habitat connectivity and local government: to bring together the policy tools and practical strategies that every community and every community member—whether you’re a resident, planner, biologist, developer, or legislator—can consider using to help keep landscapes connected.

Snow leopard - © Muhammad Osama / WWF-Pakistan

Designing Infrastructure With Snow Leopards in Mind

With complex, sprawling ranges across the high mountains of South and Central Asia and low population densities, snow leopards are an elusive species. Over the last decade, however, urban centers and communities surrounding their habitats have become increasingly connected, with many more investments in infrastructure on the horizon. How can new linear infrastructure—including roads, railways, and power lines—meet human needs while protecting snow leopards, their prey, and the fragile ecosystems they depend on to survive?

Promoting Guidelines to Reduce Harm to Asian Elephants from Roads and Railways

Earlier this year, a baby Asian elephant died after being hit by a truck on Gerik-Jeli Highway, in Peninsular Malaysia. In distress, his mother stood by for hours and had to be tranquilized in order to be moved from the area. This heartbreaking event, which happened on Mother’s Day, was a sad reminder of the conflict between human development and wildlife survival. To address this problem and prevent future tragedies, the Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC) has been co-organizing workshops with partners to promote actionable solutions in the 13 countries where Asian elephants still live in the wild.

Center for Large Landscape Conservation Founder and CEO Gary Tabor to Retire

The Board of Directors of the Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC) announced today that the organization’s visionary founder, Gary Tabor, will retire from his role as CEO of CLLC. Mary Pearl, Chair of the CLLC Board of Directors, made the announcement: “Gary Tabor let the Board know of his plans to retire from his role as CEO after leading this organization since he founded it eighteen years ago in 2007. Through CLLC he developed an entirely new sector of conservation theory and practice, and all of us at CLLC are grateful to Gary for his leadership, drive and service. The Board will now begin the task of identifying his successor while we celebrate Gary’s contribution to our collective goals in large landscape conservation and ecological connectivity.”

Eurasian Lynx are one of several endangered species in this region. (Courtesy: Team Bars)

Advancing Transboundary Connectivity Conservation for Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan

Along the remote border of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, the Kugitang Mountains are home to a unique mix of species and ecosystems, from Eurasian lynx and markhor—the world’s largest wild goat—to fragile cave systems and alpine grasslands. Since 2020, the Center for Large Landscape Conservation has led a collaborative effort to strengthen protected area management, monitoring, and connectivity in this region, with support from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund. The project unfolded in two phases: first focusing on Koytendag State Nature Reserve (SNR) in Turkmenistan, then expanding across the border to Surkhan SNR in Uzbekistan.