Key Elements of Successful Regional Conservation Partnerships
The Wildlands and Woodlands Partnership believes there are common attributes to any successful regional conservation partnership that seeks to implement a bold conservation vision like W&W
- Shared goals that are supportive of the vision
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Priorities beyond simply getting together. Young partnerships may value sharing information and making decisions through consensus, but to sustain the partnership and implement a plan like Wildlands and Woodlands, there must be action. Here are some suggestions:
- Identify regional and landscape-scale natural and/or cultural resources in need of protection from development as part of a conservation vision for your region.
- Hold a series of forums for landowners and/or key community leaders on the ecological, economic, and cultural values associated with your region's forests and the conservation tools available to private landowners.
- Help towns conserve forests through passage of the Community Preservation Act (CPA), zoning and subdivision regulations and local open space and recreation plans.
- Aggregate land parcels for protection by working in partnership.
- Establish a revolving loan fund via joint public-private funding for land protection. The fund could help pay for appraisals and due diligence costs.
- Active participation from all members of the group Shared experience and understanding amongst members.
- Broad support for the mission from a large and diverse partnership
- Anchor partner, the one who will benefit most from engaging multiple stakeholders and in some cases, be the group's administrator or convener. The anchor partner may support the partnership financially during any lean periods.
- Several Strong partners to assist your partnership's "anchor".
- Both Public and private agencies and organizations represented in the group.
- Funding from outside sources and member organizations and agencies without sacrificing collaboration.
- Unique and overlapping missions of the partnerships' members.
- Meeting Organizer to convene meetings, send out draft agendas, schedule meeting locations and times and document your group's progress and process.