Communities of Practice

The Human Dimensions Portal was created by the Human Dimension Branch of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The portal provides convenient access to human dimensions tools and resources applicable to your conservation work. It also encourages a community of practice for conservation practitioners through a blog and conversation forum; upcoming events; news and announcements; and a directory of social science experts.

The Network for Landscape Conservation advances cross-border, collaborative conservation as a vital approach to sustain nature, culture, and community. We connect people to ideas and innovations – and each other – building a community of practice for landscape conservation. Together, we are developing tools and strategies and advancing best practices and policies to help people sustain the landscapes we cannot live without.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Institute for Water Resources, Collaboration and Public Participation Center of Expertise (CPCX), provides technical assistance to Districts and Divisions on collaborative processes, builds USACE collaborative capacity, publishes reports on environmental conflict resolution and collaborative processes, and manages the Corps’ Public Participation and Risk Communication Community of Practice. CPCX’s work is focused on its four goals of consultation services, capacity building, policy support, and research.

On Pasture is an online content provider with a mission to translate research and experience into practices graziers can use right away. They seek to help people raising livestock on pasture to be more profitable, and to support their contributions to the health of their communities and environment. On Pasture has published over 1600 articles and is the best source for approachable, scientifically accurate information, written in plain language with a focus on turning ideas into practices  We are an educational resource for management agencies, conservation organization staff members, and other agricultural service providers, as well as for ranchers, farmers, and homesteaders.

The mission of the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network (FAC Net) is to connect and support people and communities who are striving to live more safely with wildfire. The Network is a catalyst for spreading best practices and innovations in fire adaptation concepts nationwide. The purpose of FAC Net is to exchange information, collaborate to enhance the practice of fire adaptation, and work together and at multiple scales to help communities live safely with fire. This includes embracing resiliency concepts and taking action before, during and after wildfires.

Collaborative Conservation and Adaptation Strategy Toolbox (CCAST) is an online management toolbox that shares lessons learned to increase communication across the conservation community. Conservation partners in the western US and northern Mexico identified the need for case studies on management actions, partnership and collaboration, monitoring, and adaptive management. Partners include The Southwest Climate Hub, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and Forest Service.

 Cooperative conservation has been a priority for the Department of the Interior since the early 2000s. The Landscape Conservation Cooperative Network supports the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs), established to provide science capacity and technical expertise for meeting shared natural and cultural resource priorities. Today, the network of 22 LCCs is changing how we think about, plan, and act upon collaborative conservation issues in a way that goes beyond boundaries to help the places we love and the natural and cultural resources our communities depend on thrive for generations to come. By building a network that is collaborative, non-regulatory, adaptive, and grounded in science, LCCs are working to ensure the sustainability of our economy, land, water, wildlife, and cultural resources.

The USDA, DoD, and DOI recognize Sentinel Landscapes as working or natural lands that are fortuitously situated to protect military installations and ranges from encroachment challenges. Members of the Partnership designate locations as Sentinel Landscapes and subsequently work with local stakeholders to coordinate the delivery of federal assistance programs to landowners who maintain their properties as farms, ranches, timberlands, or simply open space. As a result, the three founding Departments collectively bolster economic productivity, protect critical natural resources, preserve working lands, and enhance the military’s mission.

The Children & Nature Network is a leading a global movement to increase equitable access to nature so that children– and natural places–can thrive.​ ​We ​do this ​by investing in leadership and communities through sharing evidence-based resources, scaling innovative solutions and driving policy change.We offer 650+ peer-reviewed studies on the benefits of nature in our free, online Research Library. Use these studies—and our online infographics—to “make the case” for nature connection in your community. Stay on top of the latest research by subscribing to our monthly Research Digest.