Climate Science Alliance Selected as Finalist for Connectivity Challenge
- Climate Science Alliance
- Sep 2, 2020
- 2 min read
The Climate Science Alliance’s collaborative proposal, “Catalyzing Connectivity for Tribal Cultural and Community Resilience,” has been selected as one of the 5 finalists for a national Connectivity Challenge. In our video we share our vision to promote landscape connectivity by catalyzing actions that integrate cultural values and traditional ecological knowledge to advance tribal community climate resilience.
The Climate Science Alliance team is excited to share that our collaborative proposal with Dr. Megan Jennings, “Catalyzing Connectivity for Tribal Cultural and Community Resilience,” has been selected as one of the 5 finalists for the national Connectivity Challenge - out of 46 applicants from across the nation.
The Connectivity Challenge is a public competition being conducted with the support of the Salazar Center for North American Conservation. The competition focuses on identifying breakthrough ideas that will drive innovation in landscape connectivity for habitat and community benefit in North America and will award $100,000 to the selected project in Fall of 2020.
Check out what we propose to do:
Catalyzing Connectivity for Tribal Cultural and Community Resilience
Implementing conservation actions that protect and promote landscape connectivity can be difficult, particularly in areas with development opportunities. Even in a region with a history of proactive conservation planning like southern California, prioritizing conservation is challenging, especially for under-resourced communities. Tribal communities are among the most susceptible to the impacts of climate change, yet they are often left out of planning conversations. To address this challenge, we propose a collaborative effort to leverage existing research and catalyze actions that can protect and enhance connectivity and advance tribal resilience. Building on a foundation of connectivity research and a strong stakeholder community, we will explore the integration of western and traditional knowledge to restore and manage connectivity. Through our innovative engagement programs, the outcomes of this research will provide impact and empowerment for partner communities. With this work, we look to change the connectivity and conservation paradigm in southern California and beyond.