The Next Four Years: Trends in Landscape Scale Conservation
January 2, 2021
To provide observations and information on the emerging fields of landscape scale conservation, heritage preservation, and sustainable community development.
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The mid 1970s proved to be a pivotal moment in the history of large landscape conservation. The funding boom of the sixties had come to an end, but the political influence of the environmental movement still held sway in many state capitols and in Washington, D.C. The administration of President Gerald Ford sought to cut back on federal investments in conservation, especially in cities, while members of Congress pushed for increases or – at the very least – preservation of the funding status quo. A document from the era, drafted by Charles Little of the Congressional Research Service, captures these tensions and is worth a read.
There is growing recognition of the interconnected character of culture and nature and the need for a more holistic approach to address the most urgent issues facing our planet – climate change, urbanization, and the transformations wrought by globalization. The recent Scientific Symposium at the 19th ICOMOS Triennial General Assembly in Delhi (December 11-15, 2017) continued the journey begun at last year’s World Conservation Congress in Hawai’i to find points intersection between the two fields. The discussion focused on such topics as the Connecting Practice initiative , the challenges of agriculture and rural landscapes, and the role of indigenous communities.
It is getting harder and harder to keep track of all the news involving federal government action on landscape conservation issues. The past few weeks have been especially overwhelming with each day (and sometimes each hour!) bringing a new headline or controversy. Drilling in Alaska, new fees at National Park Service units, and potential changes to National Monument designations are just a few of the issues to catch our attention.
On October 23, 2017 conservationists gathered at National Geographic Headquarters for an event called “Half Earth Day” held six months after Earth Day in April.
Re-reading Edward Abbey’s 1968 classic Desert Solitaire, brought some new revelations beyond his lyric descriptions of the desert landscape and sketches of its memorable characters. The book offers some predictions and recommendations for the future of western rivers, National Parks and wilderness. So what were three of his most compelling observations?
The mid 1970s proved to be a pivotal moment in the history of large landscape conservation. The funding boom of the sixties had come to an end, but the political influence of the environmental movement still held sway in many state capitols and in Washington, D.C. The administration of President Gerald Ford sought to cut back on federal investments in conservation, especially in cities, while members of Congress pushed for increases or – at the very least – preservation of the funding status quo. A document from the era, drafted by Charles Little of the Congressional Research Service, captures these tensions and is worth a read.
There is growing recognition of the interconnected character of culture and nature and the need for a more holistic approach to address the most urgent issues facing our planet – climate change, urbanization, and the transformations wrought by globalization. The recent Scientific Symposium at the 19th ICOMOS Triennial General Assembly in Delhi (December 11-15, 2017) continued the journey begun at last year’s World Conservation Congress in Hawai’i to find points intersection between the two fields. The discussion focused on such topics as the Connecting Practice initiative , the challenges of agriculture and rural landscapes, and the role of indigenous communities.
It is getting harder and harder to keep track of all the news involving federal government action on landscape conservation issues. The past few weeks have been especially overwhelming with each day (and sometimes each hour!) bringing a new headline or controversy. Drilling in Alaska, new fees at National Park Service units, and potential changes to National Monument designations are just a few of the issues to catch our attention.
On October 23, 2017 conservationists gathered at National Geographic Headquarters for an event called “Half Earth Day” held six months after Earth Day in April.
Re-reading Edward Abbey’s 1968 classic Desert Solitaire, brought some new revelations beyond his lyric descriptions of the desert landscape and sketches of its memorable characters. The book offers some predictions and recommendations for the future of western rivers, National Parks and wilderness. So what were three of his most compelling observations?