Our Purpose

Academics for Land Protection in New England is a network of people and institutions dedicated to inspiring the next generation of conservationists, especially in and around schools, colleges and universities. ALPINE believes that people and nature are inextricably connected and the natural environment needs to thrive equitably, and justly for current and future generations.

The network’s shared belief is that academic communities can be a powerful force for positive environmental change locally and globally.

ALPINE seeks to expand the role that academic institutions play in conserving the New England landscape by sharing experiences and resources among faculty and staff, students, administrations, and alumni. 

ALPINE advances conservation through:

STUDENTS: facilitating opportunities and career development with conservation organizations and agencies to provide real-world experience with conservation practitioners, research and project opportunities, and mentorships, internships and leadership development.

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

FACULTY: sharing current research and curricula to facilitate more teaching and research of land conservation and to address critical issues in conservation science, law, policy, finance, and other fields.

ADMINISTRATIONS: providing examples of institutions that have prioritized land protection and stewardship for their own institutional lands, community areas, and regional landscapes and educating institutions on the importance of land conservation for natural climate solutions, biodiversity, clean water and public health

ALUMNI: engaging with institutional efforts and advancing land protection regionally, locally, and in their own backyards.

Our Goals

  • To advance land conservation by articulating the compelling need, celebrating successes, and fostering an engaged sense of community and common purpose.
  • To gather and build knowledge and information by sharing successful strategies and examples with other institutions.
  • To inspire the next generation of conservationists by promoting research, mentorship, career opportunities and teaching to advance the practice of land conservation.
  • To bring students, alumni, administrators and faculty together across institutions, to share, collaborate, innovate, and learn.
  • To partner with non-academic organizations to work together to design and implement conservation solutions as one of many tools to solve pressing climate and biodiversity issues.