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Throughout the commonwealth, large regions are working together to drive strategic investment and actions around sustainability, conservation, community revitalization, and recreational projects. Known as the Conservation Landscape Initiative, these collaborations are developing in landscapes where there are strong natural assets, local readiness and buy-in, and state level investment support. Several state agencies, local governments, funders and non-profits have worked strategically and collaboratively on the ground for several years in seven CLI’s to develop this value-driven, place-based approach:
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View map of the regions (pdf, 441kb)
These areas are identifying values at a landscape scale, revitalizing communities, and engaging local and regional partners in conservation and economic development. Founded on the regions’ sense of place and resource values, the CLIs motivate citizens and elected officials to take on the challenge of effective land use planning, investment, civic engagement and revitalization.
Driven by the values of conservation, sustainability and community revitalization, some of the ingredients that make a community or region ready to consider this kind of strategic collaborative approach include:
- Presence of DCNR-owned lands – large blocks of state parks and forests provide the foundation for the landscape and a staffing presence that can help guide the initiative
- Sense of Place - regions with a sense of place and identity - many cases based on shared landscape not political boundaries
- Readiness - made more ready by opportunity or threats -- changes in the economic base, depopulation, or sprawl
- Engagement - Civic engagement process that brings people of the region together to identify common values and concerns.
- Strategic Investments – State agencies with regional and statewide partners provide high-level leadership, financial support and technical assistance to build better communities, to conserve identified values and to invest in "sustainable" economic development. Partnerships with state agencies and other statewide organizations are necessary to frame and incentivize the process.
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