The Wildlands Project
Where are they?
The Wildlands Project has current planning efforts in the following areas: Alaska, Appalachians, Coastal California, Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Coastal British Columbia, Coastal Plains, Conception Coast, Florida, Grand Canyon, High Plains Ecosystem, Hill County, Kalamth-Siskiyou, Maine, Mesoamerican Corridor, New Mexico, North Woods Reserve, Nova Scotia, Piedmont, Rainforest to Rockies, Sierra Madre Corridor, Sierra Nevada, Sky Islands, Sonoran Desert, South Coast, Southern Rockies Reserve, Utah,Ventana, Wyoming and Yellowstone to Yukon. For more information on one particular location please go to www.twp.org/aboutus/aboutus.html.
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Who are they, and what are they doing?
The Wildlands Project was founded in 1991 by a group of conservation activists and biologists who believe that existing methods of preserving nature in isolated "islands" of protection are insufficient to protect North America's native plants and animals from the threat of extinction.
The Wildlands Project represents an effort to bring the science of conservation biology, an action-orientated science using principles of biology and conservation to protect nature, to bear on the process of conservation advocacy in order to create and implement a positive vision for a biologically healthy North America. Their mission is to protect and restore the natural heritage of North America through the establishment of a connected system of wildlands.
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How are they doing this?
The Wildlands Project works with grassroots organizations, conservation scientists and other partners to develop conservation proposals for Wildlands Network Designs, which will be eventually linked together and, when implemented, form a complete, protected continental wildlands system. Some of the land identified is already protected by federal, state and local governments. Other lands can be or are currently protected by private individuals and organizations. Additional land will be protected through a strategy including acquisition from willing sellers, improved management, and voluntary private landowner cooperation. This strategy will require the strong involvement of local communities and citizens in the decision-making process.
How much does this cost?
This year, we are asking our friends and supporters to contribute $250,000 toward our conservation work. Although, it's hard to place a  value on the howl of a wolf or the roar of a canyon creek.
Who is this for?
The benefits of Nature protection are not limited to plants and animals. Nature provides humans with a complete life support system. Healthy ecosystems give us the "ecological services" that make human life possible and give it meaning: fresh air oxygenated by plants; drinking water purified by wetlands, nutrient-rich soils for food production; hospitable climates tempered by the effects of regional ecosystems; and natural beauty that lifts our spirits and inspires our souls. Protecting nature will ensure the health and well being of future generations.
What are the obstacles?
"We are called to our task by the inability of existing parks, wilderness areas, and wildlife refuges to adequately protect life in North America in the face of increasing human numbers and technological change. While these areas preserve spectacular scenery and provide outstanding recreational opportunities, they are too small, too isolated, and represent too few types of ecosystems to perpetuate the continent's biological wealth. Despite the establishment of parks and reserves from Canada to Central America, true wilderness and native, wildland-dependant species are in precipitous decline." -The Wildlands Project
What is the next step?
Implementation of this system will take place over many decades. Existing natural areas should be protected immediately. Other areas, already degraded, will be identified and restored. Proposals for areas outside North America will be inspired by this work. The Wildlands Project welcomes the participation and support of all persons and organizations who are interested in these issues and who share their vision of a healthy, vibrant and ecologically renewed landscape.
What does this all mean?
The Wildlands Project, as a remedy, is working to create regional and continental networks of conservation areas that will protect wild habitat, biodiversity, ecological integrity, ecological services, and evolutionary processes.
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