A Case Study on Building and Sustaining Landscape-Scale Stewardship Networks in the 21st Century, by Leigh Goldberg Consulting
With the growing complexity and scale of environmental, social, and economic challenges facing the long-term stewardship of working and conserved public and private lands in the United States, place-based collaborative networks are very likely the future vehicle to keep pace with and meet these challenges. According to one expert in the field, there are likely well over 500 of these place-based landscape collaborative networks operating in the country today. These networks are comprised of diverse stakeholders from multiple sectors addressing a range of related issues, such as climate resilience, community wellbeing, and economic growth. They are commonly described as “landscape-scale” because they are formed around a specific landscape or geography, and thus require cross-boundary collaboration from multiple partners and stakeholders. What unites these diverse stakeholders is their shared commitment to a place, a largescale
problem such as forest health or fire fuel management, or a state or federal mandate that requires regional coordination to achieve a broad, landscape-scale policy decision.
Additional Resources:
- Read the Executive Summary of this case study
- Additional Research Supporting the Case Study Findings
- California Landscape Stewardship Network
This case study was commissioned by the California Landscape Stewardship Network. It was made possible by the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.
