Southeast Conservation Blueprint

Southeast Conservation Blueprint
Name	Southeast Conservation Blueprint
Formation	2015
Type	Regional conservation planning initiative
Headquarters	Atlanta, Georgia
Region served	Southeastern United States
Parent organization	The Nature Conservancy

Southeast Conservation Blueprint

The Southeast Conservation Blueprint is a regional planning initiative that integrates spatial data and stakeholder collaboration to guide conservation across the Southeastern United States, the Gulf of Mexico, and adjacent landscapes. It synthesizes inputs from organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Smithsonian Institution, and regional networks including the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Sierra Club, and Ducks Unlimited. The Blueprint supports coordination among federal agencies, state agencies like the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, academic institutions including University of Georgia and Duke University, and municipal partners such as the City of Atlanta.

Overview

The Blueprint provides a spatially explicit plan drawing on datasets from the U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, NOAA Fisheries, and conservation nonprofits to prioritize land protection, restoration, and connectivity across the Appalachian Mountains, Piedmont (United States), Coastal Plain (United States), and Gulf Coastal Plain. It is used by practitioners from The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, Audubon Society, NatureServe, and regional land trusts like the Georgia Land Trust to align investments with priorities identified through partnerships with universities such as Florida State University and University of South Carolina.

History and Development

The Blueprint emerged from collaborative efforts following reports and initiatives including the National Fish Habitat Action Plan, the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, and regional conservation assessments led by The Nature Conservancy and the Ducks Unlimited. Early pilots involved coordination with federal programs under the Endangered Species Act implementation teams, partnerships with state agencies like the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and technical support from research centers such as the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. Development benefited from inputs during meetings hosted by institutions including the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, workshops with representatives from Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy, and funding from foundations like the Packard Foundation.

Goals and Objectives

The Blueprint’s goals align with strategies promoted by the Convention on Biological Diversity targets and national frameworks such as the America the Beautiful initiative to protect lands and waters, prioritize connectivity, and address threats to species like the red-cockaded woodpecker, gopher tortoise, and Atlantic sturgeon. Objectives include conserving intact habitats in regions prioritized by the Conservation Measures Partnership, enhancing riparian corridors along systems like the Savannah River and Apalachicola River, and supporting climate adaptation for habitats identified by the National Climate Assessment and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Geographic Scope and Priority Areas

Priority areas span ecoregions recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency ecoregion framework, including the Southern Appalachian spruce–fir forests, Longleaf pine forests, and Carolina Bays. The Blueprint highlights corridors linking protected areas such as Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Congaree National Park, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, and coastal systems like the Chesapeake Bay-connected estuaries and the Cape Fear River basin. Urban-rural interface priorities include metropolitan regions like the Atlanta metropolitan area and coastal cities such as Charleston, South Carolina and Mobile, Alabama where green infrastructure interlinks with regional reserves.

Implementation and Partnerships

Implementation is coordinated through partnerships among federal entities—U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA, USDA Forest Service—state agencies including the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, tribal governments such as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, regional NGOs like The Nature Conservancy and Audubon Society of North Carolina, and academic centers including University of Florida and Louisiana State University. Funding and technical assistance have involved philanthropies such as the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and multilateral programs like the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The Blueprint is integrated into planning tools used by land trusts like The Conservation Fund and state conservation banks.

Conservation Strategies and Actions

Strategies combine land acquisition, easements, habitat restoration, prescribed fire regimes informed by research from Tall Timbers Research Station, wetland restoration modeled on projects in the Everglades, and coastal resilience measures applied in Louisiana and Florida to address sea-level rise documented by NASA. Actions include corridor restoration connecting reserves such as Chattahoochee National Forest and Sumter National Forest, protection of freshwater ecosystems like the Okefenokee Swamp, invasive species management targeting pests documented by the USDA APHIS, and species-specific recovery plans for taxa listed under the Endangered Species Act.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Outcomes

Monitoring leverages remote sensing from Landsat and MODIS satellites and biodiversity databases from NatureServe and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility to evaluate outcomes against targets inspired by the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. Evaluations involve adaptive management partnerships with research groups at Duke University and University of Georgia and use metrics reported to entities like the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Documented outcomes include acres of habitat conserved, connectivity indices improved across Appalachian corridors linking Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Shenandoah National Park-scale networks, and contributions to regional species recovery for organisms such as the southeastern beach mouse and finetooth shark. Efforts inform regional planning for resilience with agencies like Federal Emergency Management Agency and contribute to national conservation dialogues at forums such as the North American Conservation Network.

Category:Conservation in the United States Category:Environmental planning