Develop Plans and Strategies

Increasing the total amount of preserved lands in the U.S. is important, but it is critical for us to act with a solid strategic understanding about the character and location of open spaces and natural places that need immediate conservation action. LandScope America will give members of the land-protection community access to the tools you need to make informed decisions about where and how to invest your time, money, and effort.

Conservation today is not just about setting aside; it consists of a continuum of activities. LandScope America will assist your planning efforts not only by identifying the right places to protect, but also by figuring out the most appropriate strategies for addressing the threats they confront. The resources that you will find will enhance your understanding of how long-term conservation can best nest within the broader regional context while supporting sustainable patterns of human use across the landscape. Finally, building on our key partnerships, we will link you to important additional resources, such as the Strategic Conservation Curriculum now  emerging from the Land Trust Alliance.

LandScope America combines sophisticated, user-friendly GIS tools with the best-available conservation science and environmental data, enabling you to produce instructive maps and reports that clarify the patterns, trends, and -- most importantly -- needs of the landscape. Whether you make use of them in conservation planning and implementation or in ecological assessments, natural resources management, restoration or research projects, these revealing and informative visuals help bring conservation action and investment into focus.

LandScope America’s suite of tools also let you place your work to protect working and wild lands in the context of what’s happening beyond your service area. Viewing these efforts within the framework of other local and statewide ones can help you plan, set and refine your own action priorities.

Landowners whose livelihoods depend on the land can benefit from LandScope America’s intuitive maps and tools, even if you have little or no experience in mapping programs. The ecological value of your land can begin to emerge from seeing your property with the added perspective of surrounding and nearby lands under some form of protection. You can learn more about voluntary agreements and incentives as well as potential local partners who can help design and implement them to the advantage of your family and future generations.