Defenders' Experts
Oregon Biodiversity Project
The Oregon Biodiversity Project (1993-1999) had its genesis in the early
1990s among a small group of conservationists. Defenders of Wildlife took the
lead, working with The Nature Conservancy and the Oregon Natural Heritage
Program to lay the groundwork for a private sector-based initiative. By 1996,
the project had grown to include dozens of public and private cooperators
including federal, state and local governments, academia, and industry and
conservation organizations.
Funding and support came from a variety of sources, including private foundations, federal agencies, and corporate contributors. Individual researchers and agencies contributed data. Input from project committees shaped the outlines of the biodiversity analysis and conservation strategy.
The Oregon Biodiversity Project used geographic information systems (GIS) technology to conduct an assessment of biodiversity conservation needs at the statewide and ecoregion levels. A diverse group of interests collaborated on development of an overall conservation strategy that emphasizes cooperative efforts and incentives for voluntary action. The project identified 42 conservation opportunity areas (17.9% of Oregon's land area) as high priorities for landscape-scale conservation efforts. Current actions to protect those areas include acquisitions, conservation easements, legislation, negotiated agreements, habitat restoration, and changes in management that directly enhance biodiversity values.
The Oregon Biodiversity Project worked to reduce the risk of future endangered species designations, give landowners more flexibility in resource management decisions and establish a process to improve communication among diverse public and private interests.
The Oregon Biodiversity Project developed a number of high quality products,
including a full-color atlas that outlined major findings and separate
publications on landowner conservation incentives. The Oregon project is widely
recognized as a model for future biodiversity projects in other states, and lead
directly to the Oregon Conservation Strategy.
Oregon Adaptation EffortsAs the effects of a changing climate become increasingly apparent, Oregon needs a strategy for responding to these impacts. These basic guiding principles for managing fish, wildlife and habitats in a changing climate were prepared by the Oregon Global Warming Commissions Fish and Wildlife Adaptation Subcommittee.
