The Science of Conservation Planning
The 'Big Question':
When and where do we invest time, money, and effort to do conservation and how do we allocate these resources efficiently?
Conservation planning identifies and prioritizes lands that encompass important natural and/or cultural resources across the landscape (e.g., critical watersheds, habitat for rare or threatened species) and develops protection and management strategies for these lands. It is a process where science is at the core of planning, but the science is informed by groups of stakeholders using their on-the-ground knowledge and expertise. The goal is to create interconnected reserves of managed lands that are resilient to the many environmental changes that are occurring rapidly on the landscape. All of these efforts are projected through the lens of promoting and/or maintaining biodiversity into the future.
