🌎Connectivity Is Key: The Future of Protected Areas for Biodiversity Conservation, with Hugh Possingham
Hello…and welcome to…Issue #015!
Reading Time: <3 mins.
TL;DR: We are excited to share that our new ​Designing Nature's Half ​website launched last week! Meanwhile, we also published our podcast's seventh episode, ​Spatial Design in Landscape Conservation: An Interview with Hugh Possingham​, a Professor of Mathematics and Professor of Ecology at the University of Queensland, Australia. Hugh shares his expertise in biodiversity conservation, spatial planning and decision science in protected area networks, and Marxan - a spatial planning decision support tool. The discussion revolves around the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity ​Framework​'s Target 3: “to conserve at least 30% of the world's lands and waters by 2030.” Tune into this enlightening conversation packed with expert insights perfect for anyone passionate about sustaining nature through thoughtful planning, design, and collective action!
“There are two things about the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Target 3: “30% by 2030.” Those two things tend to get a bit ignored: that 30 by 2030 has to be: 1) “representative,” and 2) “well managed.” They're little parts of the target that people ignore. And when we see declines in abundance, what we're seeing is the most fertile and productive land, where the abundance of most organisms is at its greatest, is the stuff that's not being conserved because people like it.”
Welcome to our corner of the world!
We’re glad you’re here!
In this issue, we share some exciting news: our new Designing Nature's Half ​website​ launched last week! We also dropped our seventh podcast episode, ​Spatial Design in Landscape Conservation: An Interview with Hugh Possingham​, a Professor of Mathematics and Professor of Ecology at the University of Queensland, Australia. You can find it anywhere you get your podcasts or from our website via the link above.
🌎Connectivity Is Key: The Future Of Protected Areas For Biodiversity Conservation
Imagine trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle but only focusing on the individual pieces without considering how they connect to form the complete picture—that's what managing isolated conservation areas, like National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges, used to be like until conservation biologists and landscape ecologists recognized the importance of connectivity across the larger landscape.
On Mind Matter Media's ​Designing Nature's Half: The Landscape Conservation Podcast​, special guest Hugh Possingham, a Professor of Mathematics and Professor of Ecology at the Unversity of Queensland, Australia, took this very topic center stage—the creation of interconnected networks rather than standalone conservation sites and the importance of preserving Earth's rich tapestry of life.
Isolated patches often fail to represent diverse habitats and species effectively; they might protect large swathes of less-threatened land while missing out on more critical ecosystems needing urgent attention. Spatial planning tools such as Marxan come into play here—they allow us to systematically evaluate potential protected areas so that each contributes meaningfully towards habitat representation and species protection—all within feasible economic constraints.
These connected systems offer ecological benefits far surpassing those provided by single sites alone—creating superhighways if you will, allowing wildlife movement between habitats essential for their survival, especially under changing climatic conditions.
However impressive software solutions may be, though, it's essential not to forget that at the heart of every successful conservation network project is an inclusive, participatory, and democratic design process that includes local communities, federal/state/tribal governments, NGOs, and private sector representatives. Modern technologies, like Marxan, may have democratized access to information, but they still require consensus-building, recognition of political realities, and cooperative decision-making to be successful.
To sum up, designing and creating functional, vibrant protected area networks goes beyond technicalities—it demands stakeholder participation, a shared vision for the landscape, and collective action to ensure ecological integrity and societal well-being for current and future generations of Americans.
Thanks for a GREAT discussion, Hugh!
Visit ​​www.designingnatureshalf.com​​ for more insights and resources related to topics discussed in today's blog!
Resources
Hugh Possingham's ​Published Papers​
American the Beautiful: ​30x30
An Invitation
If you think you have something to offer to the conversation and would like to be a guest on our pod, drop me a note at: info@lcdinstitute.org and put "Guest" in the subject line.
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