Protecting natural and cultural resources is essential to sustaining our health and quality of life. We, along with fish and wildlife, rely on clean water and the benefits of having healthy rivers, streams, wetlands, forests, grasslands, and coastal areas in order to thrive. Managing the landscapes that provide our natural and cultural resources has become increasingly challenging. With the signing of Secretarial Order No. 3289, the Department of the Interior launched the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) to better integrate science and management to address climate change and other landscape scale issues. By building a network that is holistic, collaborative, adaptive, and grounded in science, LCCs are working to ensure the sustainability of our economy, land, water, wildlife, and cultural resources.
The 22 LCCs collectively form a network of resource managers and scientists who share a common need for scientific information and interest in conservation. Each LCC brings together federal, state, and local governments along with Tribes and First Nations, non-governmental organizations, universities, and interested public and private organizations. Our partners work collaboratively to identify best practices, connect efforts, identify science gaps, and avoid duplication through conservation planning and design.