Climate Conservation DBA Center for Large Landscape Conservation

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“OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 4: NATIONAL WILDLIFE CORRIDORS & CROSSINGSFrom climate adaptation to wildlife migration, connectivity conservation is the most effective strategy to conserve nature at large scale in much of the fragmented temperate and tropical regions of the world. While corridor science is decades old, its implementation has been slow and lacked consistency. Policy efforts to identify, prioritize and protect ecological connectivity and wildlife corridors remain in the early stages. Through the past year, the Center has made great strides in this arena, with draft language and concepts for which we have advocated, being included in both Federal and State bills. Further, we have succeeded in growing traction for implementation of connectivity practices on the ground. See Schedule O. OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 5: ADVANCING CONSERVATION SCIENCEThe Center for Large Landscape Conservation is currently engaged in a global analysis of conservation corridor efficacy. This project uses empirical evidence from "real" landscapes (as opposed to experimental systems or theoretical models) to identify characteristics of corridors that successfully facilitate animal movement between habitat patches. The results of this research will help land use planners and conservationists recognize and promote more effective corridors using the lessons learned from studying real-world corridors.The Center and partners have been working together to develop an approach for considering ecological connectivity as a key element in Forest Plan Revisions. Using Custer Gallatin National Forest (CGNF) in Montana as a case study, our spatial ecologists created connectivity models for a set of generic species that collectively represent the large variety of wildlife species found in the forest. We used the outputs of these connectivity models to identify important corridors that link areas of core habitat within and surrounding CGNF. The results of the analysis have been used to inform management standards and guidelines for connectivity in Forest Plan revision documents, such as the designation of Key Linkage Areas for connectivity. We are now under contract with other National Forest Planners to repeat the process throughout the Greater Yellowstone Area. Our scientific research and planning also spans to our Indigenous partners. In preparation for the Blackfeet Integrated Land Use Management Plan, the Center is providing background planning support for the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council by analyzing and synthesizing existing and historical plans to identify common and emerging land use management priorities, and to identify any mapping and visualization requirements. The focus of this work is a comprehensive and systematic review of past planning efforts (over the past 20+ years), to identify common priorities and goals over time and overlapping actions to meet those goals. The analysis will be conducted with a focus on both similarities and differences, as well as gaps in planning or actions, in order to develop a framework for the Blackfeet Integrated Land Use Management Plans. OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 6: OTHER PROJECTSThe Center also acts as fiscal sponsor for ARC Solutions (ARC) and engages on partnership projects with this innovative collaborative. ARCAnimal Road Crossingis an interdisciplinary partnership working to facilitate new thinking, new methods, new materials and new solutions for wildlife crossing structures. In this partnership, the Center is providing technical support and coalition building for the construction of a wildlife crossing structure in Liberty Canyon, near Los Angeles. The Liberty Canyon Crossing will reconnect habitat for the areas mountain lion population, which is facing extinction due to habitat fragmentation. The structure will be not only the largest wildlife crossing in the world, but the first major crossing structure built near a major city.ARC also recently released a documentary (Re)Connecting Wild. The film tells the”

“The Center develops strategies that amplify community and governmental conservation efforts though tactical support in science, policy, community networking, and climate change resiliency planning. Our work defines and advances best practices in the area of landscape connectivity in the U. S. and around the world. We engage primarily in four ways. First, we support community-based planning to restore, protect, and manage large landscapes. We work with communities to plan for and restore the integrity and natural connectivity of the landscapes within which they live and work. Second, we develop and apply science to reconnect fragmented landscapes and provide safe passage for wildlife and people. Third, the Center connects professionals and decision makers to share information and resources worldwide. We serve as a hub for information, tools, news, and best practices. The Center is directly networked with over 28,000 conservation professionals and organizations around the globe. And finally, we inform new policy and law to support and accelerate large landscape conservation locally, nationally, and globally. We are developing international standards for corridors and connectivity areas, which is key to support a systems approach to protecting, restoring, and managing large landscapes.”

“The Network for Landscape Conservation (NLC) launched the program, Landscape Conservation Catalyst Fund in 2019. This $1.9 million project is designed to accelerate the pace of conservation at scale across the United States through targeted support of collaborative Landscape Conservation. The Catalyst Fund will regrant over $1 million, specifically supporting key collaborative processes and activities to build critical capacity and forward conservation momentum in Landscape Conservation Partnerships.In 2019, the Fund received more than 180 pre-proposals demonstrating the extraordinary need in the field. We used an evaluation process and review committees to ultimately select 14 final grantees who are working to advance collaborative conservation at the landscape scale. Of the 14 grants, three were given to tribal groups. The $25,000 grants will be catalytic to their growth and success. Now at the completion of the first year, we are extremely pleased with the results and the quality of initiatives the Catalyst Fund is supporting. Over the past 12 months, the NLC has expended considerable strategic thought and outreach to develop the Fund, including refining goals and objectives and developing final strategic framework. Currently in the selection process of the 2nd year grants, we are excited to see this fund truly take form. For year 2, we received 94 grant applications and will select 14 more grantees in late August 2020.Peer learning is an important component of the Catalyst Fund. We believe that developing new skills and a robust community of peers and practice will long outlast and amplify the impact of our grants. Over the past year, we have developed a peer learning working group helmed by experts in the matter. Our Peer Learning Working Group is focused on co-creation of the program with the grantees to ensure we are providing what they most need. We have developed a peer learning program that includes bimonthly Zoom calls and webinars, an annual convening with the first meeting rescheduled to January 2021 (from March 2020), and one-on-one connections as desired.”

“The Center targets opportunities to advance wildlife corridors and crossing projects by providing technical, policy and scientific expertise. We focus on replicable projects that offer the greatest potential to pilot innovative approaches, establish best practices, and apply proven solutions.2019 and 2020 have unprecedented successes for wildlife crossings and federal transportation legislation. The Center drafted wildlife crossing language for US Senate Bill S. 2302, America's Transportation Infrastructure Act (ATIA). The bill contains a $250 million provision for a 5-year wildlife crossing pilot program that would provide competitive grant funding for wildlife-vehicle collision mitigation projects and other plans that improve habitat connectivity. In July, the Senate Environment & Public Works (EPW) committee unanimously voted (21-0) to advance the bill.Together with partners, the Center has been able to lay the groundwork for successful state wildlife corridors legislation in the past year. Our focus has been on providing draft policies for adaptation by interested states and legislators across the country. Wildlife Corridor legislation, recognizing the importance of corridors and direct action to safeguard them, has passed in five states in 2019-2020 (NM, OR, NH, VA and UT) and legislation has been introduced and is advancing in 12 other states including AZ, CO, MA, MS, MT, NV, NM, PA, VA and WA. The Center also wrote an op-ed published in The Hill on behalf of the sponsors of the bills in New Mexico, Oregon, and New Hampshire, which called on state legislators to advance similar legislation. The Center will continue to leverage this momentum in order to support and expand these efforts while interest is building. Here in Montana, staff from the Center were selected to sit on two executive committees tasked with implementing action items in the Memorandum of Agreement, signed by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and Montana Department of Transportation, following the inaugural Wildlife and Transportation Summit. We consider it a huge success to have the two executive committees working collaboratively with NGO partners and both state agencies to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and improve habitat connectivity across highways in Montana.”

“The past year has had many successes in building a more solid foundation for new policies and guidance about connectivity conservation globally. For nearly four years the Center has been working on getting Connectivity Guidelines developed and accepted by the IUCN and connectivity practitioners around the world. In mid-2020, the first-ever IUCN Guidelines for Conserving Connectivity through Ecological Networks and Corridors went to final publication and received great praise thus far. The Specialist Group, as well as its four Working Groups, have launched a new website for communicating their activities to the public at: http://conservationcorridor.org/ccsg. The Centers ongoing service as Secretariat for the IUCN WCPA Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group (CCSG) has supported steady membership growth now at 920+ volunteers in 80+ countries.The Center, in collaboration with partners, has also begun ground-testing the Guidelines to demonstrate and hone their application. In November 2019, over 50 scientists, conservation experts, natural resource managers, and policymakers from 13 countries gathered in Romania for the first-ever workshop. As a result of the recommendations, the national government of Romania created an expert advisory group to inform connectivity-related decision-making around the country. In February, 130 country members of the UN Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) endorsed a resolution to adopt the first-ever definition of "ecological connectivity as the unimpeded movement of species and the flow of natural processes that sustain life on Earth." The CMS is the first multilateral environmental agreement to adopt a definition. The Center proposed the language, serves as member of official working groups, and joined the IUCN Delegation to the Convention's 13th Conference of the Parties to advise on connectivity-related agenda items and resolutions. The Center also continues to develop the International Transportation component of the International Connectivity program to spark a global dialogue and build a body of practice that addresses the significant ecological impacts of infrastructure. This effort builds upon our successes within our larger global connectivity conservation efforts and our work with the IUCN Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group with the global Transport Working Group. The Transport Working Group has engaged over 30 contributors from 20 countries to write the first-ever IUCN Guidelines for connectivity conservation impacted by linear transportation infrastructure. The 11-chapter book will be published later in 2020 as part of the IUCN WCPA Best Practice Guidelines. The Center has staff and consultants as Co-editors and several other staff are supporting the process.”