After two funding cycles, the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes (UM&GL) Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC) decided a more strategic approach was needed to address theconservation priorities of the region. LCC Staff sought a needs assessment that would better highlight the shared priorities and concerns of the conservation community, in addition to helping the LCC find its most effective niche in a region where collaborative conservation is fairly standard practice.
This assessment was intended to:
• Clarify the most effective role(s) for the LCC in this region
• Identify the criteria that would guide the bounds of work undertaken by the LCC
• Gather information regarding participant understanding and familiarity with the LCC Conservation Framework
• Assess perspectives on collaboration, including current collaborative actions as well as perceived barriers and potential solutions to collaboration in conservation
• Identify the shared natural and cultural resource priorities for the region to inform LCC conservation planning, research, and decision support tool development
• Articulate an assessment protocol for possible adaptation to other LCCs or regional conservation initiatives
