Community Resilience Archives - Center for Large Landscape Conservation

Within the biosphere reserve and adjacent to Montecristo National Park in El Salvador, many producers grow coffee under the shade of banana trees and other tall trees, resulting in more flavorful coffee beans. Credit: CLLC/Gabriel Oppler

Connecting Across Borders in Central America

The Trifinio-Fraternidad Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (TFTBR) is a land of steep mountains covered by dense tropical forest, home to iconic species such as quetzal and puma, small cities and rural villages, and a thriving coffee-growing economy. Spanning parts of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, the TFTBR is a model in transboundary environmental governance, established primarily to safeguard vital water sources that originate in the mountains and flow to major population centers in all three countries. The Center for Large Landscape Conservation worked with UNESCO and partners in the TFTBR on the project “Scaling up Connectivity in the Trifinio-Fraternidad Biosphere Reserve” to strengthen habitat connectivity and landscape resilience in this richly biodiverse region.

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.

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.

Grant Program Drives Collaborative, Local Action to Achieve National Conservation Goals

This is a watershed moment for conservation in the United States. The Biden administration’s America the Beautiful initiative—along with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Law—is driving unprecedented levels of funding into the restoration, stewardship, and conservation of our lands and waters. But this influx of federal project delivery funding reveals a gap that needs to be filled: the on-the-ground capacity to get the work done. The Catalyst Fund, with support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, aims to build capacity and help local and regional partnerships contribute toward achieving national conservation goals.

The Center Announces Sponsorship of United States Biosphere Network

Biosphere regions are special places recognized internationally for their unique beauty, cultures, and economic value to society. They also contain landscapes and seascapes important to the well-being of humans and wildlife alike. Recently, these regions gained a new champion in their stewardship: the Center for Large Landscape Conservation announced today that they will support the United States Biosphere Network (USBN), a voluntary network representing the 28 biosphere regions located in the U.S., as a fiscally sponsored project.

Beavers, Butterflies, and Climate Resilience: Indigenous-led Conservation Projects

The Center for Large Landscape Conservation recognizes and celebrates Native American Heritage Month. We value the relationships we have built with Tribal Nations and their many strengths as conservation partners, including their unique cultures, perspectives, knowledge systems, and governing structures. The modern conservation movement has much to learn from Native American Tribes, and we are pleased to share a few interesting and inspiring stories from 2021 of Indigenous-led conservation efforts.

2021 Catalyst Fund Grant Awards

The Network for Landscape Conservation has announced its 2021 Catalyst Fund grant awards, with 15 Landscape Conservation Partnerships from throughout the United States receiving support. Funds will be used to advance Partnerships’ efforts to protect the ecological, cultural, and community values of the landscapes they call home. Grants are made to Partnerships demonstrating a genuinely collaborative approach to conservation, involving a variety of stakeholders and often including historically marginalized communities who have been excluded from previous land-management decisions. In particular, a portion of the Fund is specifically dedicated to supporting Indigenous leadership in landscape conservation.

Tribes Take the Lead in Climate Change Planning

The Little Rocky Mountains in Montana form an island range in a sea of prairie. As a result of their isolation, they are home to plant and wildlife species that are not found anywhere nearby, leaving them especially vulnerable to climate change impacts. In the shadow of the Little Rockies, the Aaniiih and Nakoda peoples of the Fort Belknap Indian Community are taking a bold stand to protect this mountain ecosystem to help preserve their traditional ways of life. The Center is supporting this effort by assisting them in restoring forest health and planning for a rapidly changing climate.

Partner Spotlight: Gerald Wagner

Gerald Wagner is the Director of the Blackfeet Environmental Program and Director of Blackfeet Nation’s Drinking Water, Wastewater, and Solid Waste Program. We sat down with Gerald to discuss the insights he’s gained from his extensive work in conservation and his advice for conservation groups who want to partner with Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples.

Community Resilience