How Did it All Start? The Emergence of Conservation Without Conflict In the book "The Codex of the Endangered Species Act Volume II: The Next 50 Years", edited by Lowell E. Baier, John F. Organ, and Christopher E. Segal, a compelling chapter by Jimmy Bullock, Jr. and Cindy Dohner titled "Conservation without Conflict: A Collaborative Approach to the Endangered Species Act" outlines a transformative vision for wildlife conservation in the United States. This chapter, rich with historical context and practical examples, argues that voluntary, collaborative approaches involving private landowners, government agencies, and conservation organizations can achieve more sustainable and effective outcomes than traditional regulatory methods under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Read The Article
Exploring Linkages Amongst Regional Landscape Conservation Partnerships Recently, conservation leaders from across the nation and representing broad sectors attended the 90th annual North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Louisville, KY. This year, partners from the Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy (SECAS) staff, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA), the Wildlife Management Institute, and the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society (NAFWS) hosted a special session at the conference titled “Beyond the Boundaries: Exploring Opportunities for Cross-regional Landscape-scale Conservation”. The session provided an overview and update on each of the regional partnerships and delved into the potential for, and growing interest in, creating a unified national framework for collaborative conservation. Read The Article
USGS Cooperative Research Unit Corner When Habitat is Not Enough: Pesticide Risks Affect Monarch Survival Monarch butterfly declines mirror a broader trend of insect losses globally. Insects provide essential ecosystem services—including pollination, pest control, and nutrient cycling—and form the base of many food webs. In economic terms, insect pollination services in the U.S. alone were valued at $34 billion in 2021, and global animal pollination service estimates were between $235-$577 billion. Yet roughly 20% of North American pollinator species are at risk of extinction, and butterfly abundance in the U.S. dropped 22% between 2000 and 2020. Read The Article