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Featured Content
A new privately protected area in Hangzhou aims to restore the "green desert" left in the wake of now abandoned bamboo farms
Shenmin Liu - ILCN Regional Representative for Asia & Lily Robinson - ILCN Program Coordinator 
August 29, 2023

In the dense Moso Bamboo Forest on Mount Yunfeng, about 15 miles south of the city of Hangzhou, China, a new pilot program is on a mission to restore biodiversity to the nation's mountainous southeastern region. To the untrained eye, the lush bamboo forests that spread across the landscape may seem innocuous, even beneficial, to the environment, but the quick growing plant offers few ecosystem services and chokes out native species, creating what experts call a "green desert" across much of China. 

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'Art should do more than sit on its ass in a gallery,' says nature artist van der Merwe
 

Lily Robinson - ILCN Program Coordinator
July 27, 2023

Van der Merwe's art is not just inspired by nature; it is created from it. The South African artist travels to installation sites and uses found material to create ephemeral pieces that speak to the sometimes-fraught relationship between people and land. 

This artist profile is one in an ongoing series highlighting the role creative work plays in connecting people with nature and inspiring a culture of stewardship. If you are an artist whose work is inspired by nature and would like to be featured in a future ILCN newsletter, please reach out to lrobinson@lincolninst.edu. We consider visual fine art, photography, poetry, personal essay, music, and other submissions.

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Notes From the Field

 
Building a landscape conservation approach
By Sarah Winterton - Centre for Land Conservation
July, 2023

Regional Conservation Partnerships are a well-established capacity building mechanism in Canada and are gaining popularity in the US. A new working paper published by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy explores the model and proposes it be expanded to emphasize climate goals.

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African delegates celebrate contributions to global policy
By Kiragu Mwangi 
August 31, 2023

The 2023 African Ministerial Conference on the Environment marked a defining moment in global conservation, confronting severe biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. Since 1985, the conference has promoted policy innovation relating to Africa's environmental and sustainable development needs.

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Seventh annual ALCA conference to be held in Canberra, Australia
By Monica Haynes - Communications lead, ALCA
August 14, 2023

Practitioners will gather for a three-day event focused on creating a sustainable future and healing the ongoing damage to nature and land across Australia. 



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Respecting identities is essential to European conservation efforts
By Hans von Sonntag - Eurosite
September 2, 2023

"Conservationists need empathy and tolerance to capitalise on the positive aspects of identity politics," writes Eurosite's Hans von Sonntag in a piece exploring how to rally communities around the shared dream of long-term security that comes with healthy and resilient landscapes.

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Funding for biodiversity conservation in Chile cannot wait, says new report
By Eugenio Rengifo Grau & Lily Robinson
August 23, 2023

Released by Centro de Estudios Públicos in August, the report lays out 30 recommendations for action, one of which is to build the Fondo Naturaleza Chile endowment fund to $100,000,000 (USD). 


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Site-level tool for identifying other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs)
By Harry Jonas et al. 
August 2, 2023

The first edition of this IUCN guide helps practitioners identify and improve OECMs using a three-step, eight-criteria system. 



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ILCN Updates

 
The ILCN at the 2023 Land Trust Alliance Rally

The ILCN convened an impressive audience in Portland, Oregon, on Sept. 8 for its annual International Breakfast at the Land Trust Alliance Rally. Jeff Allenby, the Lincoln Institute's Center for Geospatial Solutions (CGS) director of geospatial technology, presented highlights from an ILCN-CGS partnership to close data gaps in private land conservation worldwide.

Allenby explained how conservationists with diverse priorities can use remote sensing tools to identify overlaps & coalesce interests to achieve 30x30 goals. Technology can also streamline documentation for land trusts, enabling a seamless experience and freeing staff capacity. He forecasted a future where data will be translated, painlessly, across systems, giving organizations access to a common language without the burden of relearning a new system. 

Upcoming Events
 
Webinar: Avoiding past mistakes - Putting Target 3 in context for African conservation

Target 3 of the Global Biodiversity Framework challenges the world to protect 30 percent of its land and sea area by 2030, but what does that work look like on the ground? ILCN Regional Representative for Africa, Kiragu Mwangi, will moderate a rich panel of experts as they shed light on finance mechanisms that prioritize equity and holistic landscape health when funding PAs, OECMs, and IPLCs in Africa and beyond. 
  • Date TBD (Sept.) - Virtual
2023 Salazar Center Symposium on Conservation Impact

Join the Salazar Center for North American Conservation to explore holistic, nature-positive solutions to the twin climate and biodiversity crises threatening our planet and future. 
  • Oct. 11-12, 2023 CSU Spur, Hydro Building, Denver, CO - In Person
Register Here
Conference: Power to the Peatlands

Join Eurosite and partner organizations for a free three-day study of peatland conservation. Lectures, workshops, and field visits will illustrate how practitioners can strengthen, restore, monitor, and promote these precious natural resource areas. In-person attendance is now fully booked, but it's not too late to reserve a virtual seat. Register by Sept. 17 to join remotely. 
  • Sept. 19-21, Antwerp, Belgium
Webinar: DANUBEPARKS - recreation and visitors

Danube Day 2023 will bring together citizens from more than a dozen countries to celebrate shared river waters and their economic, cultural, and environmental value to the region. DANUBEPARKS Association Office Manager, Matej Marušić, will share the organization's current initiatives to preserve, develop, and restore the Danube River and surrounding watershed to benefit all of its inhabitants.
  • Sept. 21, 10am-12pm (CET) - Virtual

Opportunities

 
Call for Creative Content

The ILCN is looking for submissions of artistic work with a connection to land and land protection to feature on our website and in upcoming newsletters. We are open to poetry, short stories, personal essays, visual art, music, and more. Submissions can be sent to Lily Robinson at lrobinson@lincolninst.edu. Please include a short description of the relationship your piece shares with land, nature, or the environment. 
 
We are excited to share stories from ILCN members. If you have a successful conservation initiative, story, event, or webinar to share, then please contact us at ILCN@lincolninst.edu.
The mission of the International Land Conservation Network is to connect organizations and people around the world that are accelerating voluntary private and civic sector action that protects and stewards land and water resources. 

Learn more at landconservationnetwork.org.
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