How did this multi-LCC initiative develop? The framework for this landscape conservation design is objective-driven across three sectors for wildlife, water quality and agriculture – ultimately doing our part to strategically maximize the value of every conservation dollar for the Mississippi River Basin and Gulf of Mexico. An intensive year-long dialogue culminated in the Memphis workshop in August 2014, setting the stage for research and development of design tools this past year. For more information, see: https://www.fws.gov/science/catalog….
What is the workshop purpose? Reconvene multi-sector participants to examine the set of high impact conservation practices, web-based spatial analysis tools, and research products to: 1) identify immediate opportunities to use these tools to target investments in conservation delivery in the Mississippi Basin; and 2) frame out next steps for research and design. The outcome will be a well-defined set of implementation actions and project proposals for action within seven LCCs.
What questions will we answer? Breakouts and group work will focus on key implementation questions organized by stages in Strategic Habitat Conservation (SHC) to determine the next steps and required resources for implementation of the multi-LCC Gulf Hypoxia Initiative – A Corridor for Wildlife, Water & Agriculture.
Planning – What are the national and regional-level program and policy barriers to implementing these practices with designs that support efficient multi-sector outcomes?Design – How do we present the spatial analysis as an accessible tool to drive what and where to act in existing programs (NRCS State Tech Committees, FWS Partners, State SWAPs, etc)?Delivery – Which critical emerging practices require demonstration sites in target watersheds to test design and evaluate cross-sector cost and impacts?Monitoring – How can we integrate Mississippi basin-level cross-sector monitoring to: 1) examine landscape-scale impacts on all three sectors as an interdependent approach; and 2) assess how these practices support resilience to climate/land use/economic drivers?
