Local land-use policy is increasingly being recognized as fundamental to biodiversity conservation in the United States. Many planners and conservation scientists have called for broader use of planning and regulatory...
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Local land-use policy is increasingly being recognized as fundamental to biodiversity conservation in the United States. Many planners and conservation scientists have called for broader use of planning and regulatory tools to support the conservation of biodiversity at local scales. Yet little is known about the pervasiveness of these practices. We conducted an on-line survey of county, municipal, and tribal planning directors (n = 116) in 3 geographic regions of the United States: metropolitan Seattle, Washington;metropolitan Des Moines, Iowa;and the Research Triangle, North Carolina. Our objectives were to gauge the extent to which local planning departments address biodiversity conservation and to identify factors that facilitate or hinder conservation actions in local planning. We found that biodiversity conservation was seldom a major consideration in these departments. Staff time was mainly devoted to development mandates and little time was spent on biodiversity conservation. Regulations requiring conservation actions that might benefit biodiversity were uncommon, with the exception of rules governing water quality in all 3 regions and the protection of threatened and endangered species in the Seattle region. Planning tools that could enhance habitat conservation were used infrequently. Collaboration across jurisdictions was widespread, but rarely focused on conservation. Departments with a conservation specialist on staff tended to be associated with higher levels of conservation actions. Jurisdictions in the Seattle region also reported higher levels of conservation action, largely driven by state and federal mandates. Increased funding was most frequently cited as a factor that would facilitate greater consideration of biodiversity in local planning. There are numerous opportunities for conservation biologists to play a role in improving conservation planning at local scales.
Multi-institutional approaches to graduate education continue to emerge as a way to better prepare students for collaborative work. In this article, we describe a graduate course designed to investigate application of...
Multi-institutional approaches to graduate education continue to emerge as a way to better prepare students for collaborative work. In this article, we describe a graduate course designed to investigate application of conservation biology principles by local land use planners. “Where is Conservation Science in Local Planning?” was offered jointly by three institutions and integrated inquiry-guided, collaborative, and computer-mediated learning. Participants collaborated across universities to investigate this question and create products based on their work, including a presentation and two peer-reviewed manuscripts. We used a wiki for brainstorming and collaborative writing, a virtual classroom for work meetings, and video conferencing for building community and making complex decisions. Pre- and post-course questionnaires were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the course for improving skills in collaboration, use of collaborative technologies, and subject-area knowledge. Student development mirrored those areas where learning was required to consistently support class-wide activities. Students reported that they gained knowledge about collaboration, increased their mastery of communication skills and use of collaborative technologies, and gained knowledge about course subject matter. Students did not indicate significant changes in knowledge or activities related to leadership. Participants gained a fuller understanding of the benefits—collective creativity and enhanced accountability—and drawbacks—time required to build relationships and engage in deliberation—of collaborative research. Faculty participants suggest that future offerings continue to follow an inquiry-guided, collaborative learning approach using similar collaborative technologies, but include more explicit guidance about leadership and attempt to generate a smaller number of products.
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