National Academy of Sciences Releases Its Review of the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives
Recognizing that the LCCs are still relatively new, the Academy’s review panel pointed to many early accomplishments including LCC-funded research and tools that are helping to improve resource management decision-making.
The report acknowledged an Appalachian LCC research project that is already improving conservation actions — Assessing Future Energy Development across the Appalachians - stating that the models and mapping tool developed from this research intends to guide the balance between energy development and resource protection.
The Appalachian LCC is encouraged by the Academy’s finding that LCCs “address landscape conservation needs at a national scale, for all natural and cultural resources, in a way that bridges research and management efforts.” The NAS review also recognized the LCCs’ ability to create opportunities for identifying common conservation goals and leveraging efforts of diverse partners at a much greater scale than any one entity could achieve alone.
Now five years after the LCCs were established, the LCC Network believes the Academy’s recommendations will further help each agency and organization engaged in the LCCs and the LCC Network to take stock of progress to ensure that, collectively, the program is efficiently and effectively addressing landscape- and seascape-scale conservation priorities using the best science available.
The Appalachian LCC appreciates the areas the panel identified for further improvement to enhance coordination with partners around priorities and broaden the evaluation framework to better capture the contributions made by all partners and conservation outcomes at individual and network-wide scales.
The LCC Network looks forward to conducting a deeper analysis of the Academy’s review to continue to advance the LCCs and LCC Network and demonstrate benefits to stakeholders and the nation. The LCC Network will develop an action plan for addressing the recommendations and will provide a “report card” to document progress over the coming year.
The National Academy of Sciences’ A Review of the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives is available at www.nationalacademies.org.
