Designing Nature’s Half:
The Blog
Biweekly news and education about landscape conservation and design.
🌎The Future of Landscape Conservation: Participatory Multi-Sector Design of Sustainable Landscapes, with Dr. Amanda Sesser
Dr. Amanda Sesser, the Coordinator of the Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy (SECAS) Partnership, discusses the need for inclusive design and decision-making processes that involve diverse stakeholders and empower communities. By bringing together various sectors of society, such as transportation, energy, and conservation, sustainable landscapes can be co-designed, created, and managed for people, planet, and prosperity. The episode emphasizes the need to balance human well-being and ecological integrity – a challenge that requires a new governance model that breaks down silos in traditional planning and decision-making. It addresses historic patterns of inequality and injustice to create a more inclusive and equitable society and highlights the concept of reciprocity and the importance of engaging indigenous and other disenfranchised people.
🌎Restoring Our Landscapes, Reviving Our Future, with Willem Ferwerda
Willem Ferwerda, founder of the international non-governmental organization Commonland and former Director of IUCN Netherlands, dives deep into the innovative landscape restoration approach he developed, known as the 4 Returns framework, discussing its potential to inspire hope and drive sustainable change across large landscapes.
🌎A Blueprint for Collaborative Conservation, with Alex Wright
Alex Wright is a Landscape Science Coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Science Applications program in the Midwest Region. In that role, he facilitates partnerships and develops tools to help coordinate voluntary conservation actions and investments across the Midwest vis-a-vis the Midwest Landscape Initiative.
🌎Connectivity Is Key: The Future of Protected Areas for Biodiversity Conservation, with Hugh Possingham
Hugh Possingham, Professor of Mathematics and Ecology at the University of Queensland, Australia, shares his expertise in biodiversity conservation, spatial planning, and decision science in protected area networks and Marxan, a spatial prioritization decision support tool. Tune into this enlightening conversation packed with expert insights perfect for anyone passionate about sustaining nature half through thoughtful planning, design, and collective action!
🌎The Intersection of Ecology and Technology in Landscape Conservation Design, with Pat Comer
Pat Comer, Chief Ecologist (retired) with NatureServe, shares insights on conducting landscape assessments and their application to landscape conservation design (LCD). The discussion provides practical advice for stakeholders interested in LCD—highlighting landscape assessments as a crucial component in the design process. Tune into this enlightening conversation packed with expert insights perfect for anyone passionate about sustaining nature through thoughtful planning, design, and collective action!
🌎The Art and Science of Landscape Conservation Design Using Models – Insights from Dr. Ronald J. McCormick
Dr. Ronald J. McCormick, a field naturalist and systems ecologist, shares insights on complex systems theory, including its application in landscape conservation design (LCD). The discussion provides practical advice for stakeholders interested in LCD—highlighting conceptual modeling as a valuable step and stressing the importance of boundaries within any model used for decision-making processes. The episode serves as a reminder that successful landscape conservation hinges not only on scientific rigor but also on integrating holistic perspectives—including economic realities and cultural values—to resonate with diverse stakeholder groups involved in LCD truly.
🌎The Fiery Balance: Embracing Flames for a Resilient Future, with Steve Markason
Steve Markason, Founder/Principal of the Teton Wildfire Mitigation Team, shares insights on balancing the ecological benefits of wildfires with the risks they pose when out of control. Steve aims to help listeners understand strategies for living with wildland fires while designing communities that can withstand them. Steve brings extensive experience from his work at Bridger Teton National Forest and now educates nationwide on wildfire best practices.
🌎 Climate Adaptation: A Proactive Approach to Our Planetary Crisis Adapting to Change, with Doug Parsons
Doug Parsons, Host of America Adapts: The Climate Change Podcast, discusses climate adaptation.
🌎The Art and Science of Adapting During a Time of Rapid Change, with Robin West
Robin West, Regional Refuge Chief (retired) with the US Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuge System discusses the climate crisis and adaptation on National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska and the remote Pacific Islands.
🌎A New Era in Conservation: Understanding Landscape Conservation, Design, and Sustainability, with Rob Campellone and Tom Miewald
Rob Campellone and Tom Miewald, co-hosts of Designing Nature’s Half: The Landscape Conservation Podcast, discuss Empowering Landscape Partnerships: A Journey Towards Sustainability & Resilience.
🌎Conference of the Parties
A 2nd draft of my book is well underway. An employee-owned printing co-op is setting up an online store to sell Designing Nature's Half merch. We're getting closer to kicking off our podcast: Designing Nature's Half: The Landscape Conservation Podcast.
🌎New Podcast and the COP28
My new podcast about landscape conservation kicks off in January 2024...but the COP28 starts this week! What's COP28? Check it out below!
🌎 6 Things to Know About the Strategy of Designing Nature's Half
I've made significant headway in the book's development, including:
Completed the book's 1st draft
Secured printing rights for photos
Secured the assistance of developmental and copy editors
Began working with a graphic designer to develop graphics
Created a website (www.robertcampellone.com)
Initiated the development of a topic-related podcast!
🌎Biodiversity and the Climate Crisis
A collaboration between two international scientific bodies reports: "The area of intact and effectively protected land and ocean required to meet the three objectives of habitable climate, self-sustaining biodiversity, and a good quality of life...is substantially larger than at present, with global estimates ranging from 30% to 50% of both land and ocean surface areas [emphasis added]." I also shared a link to my new website and the title of my upcoming book: Designing Nature's Half: A Practical Guide to Conserve 50% by 2050.
🌎The 30x30 Plan: Let’s Get Started
Scientists, international policymaking bodies, and world leaders, including the Biden Administration, advocate conserving or restoring “a substantial portion of our planet” (DOI, DOA, DOC, and CEQ. 2021.), somewhere between 30% and 50% by 2050. Wouldn’t you like to know how to get started or be involved in saving the planet?
🌎The 2030 Agenda and Two Sustainable Development Goals
Two Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Goal #13 (Climate Action) & Goal #15 (Life on Land), provide a foundation for the development of my book. Last summer, an independent body of scientists reported that "the world is far off track" of achieving the SDGs. One intervention to accelerate transformation is "expanding protected areas to 40-50 percent of terrestrial areas by 2050", but how do we do it?
🌎About Robert Campellone, the landscape designer, and author of Designing Nature’s Half
Rob's professional background is in conservation planning, partnership building, and public outreach, and he has a passion for landscapes capable of sustaining people, the planet, and prosperity for current and future generations. This has ultimately brought him to author a book, Designing Nature's Half: A Practical Guide for Conserving 50% by 2050.
