Public land management agencies in the US have traditionally focused most attention on understanding and enhancing visitor experiences, as well as working within the boundaries of individual protected areas. However, agencies are increasingly recognizing the importance of landscape scale conservation and engagement with adjacent stakeholders. The diversity of interest groups in local communities and contested histories of resource management create challenging contexts for in-depth engagement with residents from local to regional scales.

Therefore, this project advances a process of “inclusive conservation” that involves proactive engagement and explicit consideration of the array of goals expressed by local communities. This webinar focuses special attention on social learning about protected areas as a process that enables residents to collectively define their futures and shift their values in response to deliberation.

ENVISION is a 3-year project funded through the 2017-2018 Belmont Forum and BiodiveERsA joint call under the BiodivScen ERA-Net COFUND programme. The ENVISION project will result in the development of several communications and policy tools to identify, compare and balance the multiple visions for any given area. ENVISION will also enhance understanding about social and ecological consequences of protected area management with an aim to facilitate reflection on future growth and landscape change.

Photo: Joris Beugels on Unsplash