bumblebee on flowering plant

BWSR Living Landscapes Initiative

Why

Many impacts such as climate change, habitat loss, invasive species, pesticides, and disease are influencing the resiliency of landscapes and leading to the loss of plant and animal populations. The decline of wildlife including beneficial insects (pollinators, butterflies, dragonflies, etc.), birds, amphibians and other species, is a significant concern for conservation professionals and residents of Minnesota. These species provide a foundation for food production, food webs and native ecosystems. Their loss results from a variety of factors including habitat loss, invasive species, pesticides, climate change, and diseases. 

Goals

  • Increase awareness about declining wildlife and plant populations and build a movement to address these challenges in collaboration with partners and Minnesota residents
  • Build habitat corridors and structure across all types of Minnesota landscapes
  • Engage diverse communities and the next generation of conservationists
  • Focus on the biological health of landscapes to meet soil health and water quality goals
  • Support pollinators that sustain our food production and ecosystems
  • Build landscape resiliency

Scope and Approach

The Living Landscapes Initiative is focused on supporting at-risk wildlife species, establishing habitat corridors, and building landscape resiliency through collaboration with conservation partners and Minnesota residents.   Program goals are being met through a combination of project funding, outreach, education and technical assistance to partners and residents.

 

Diagram showing different types of BWSR programs that are part of the Living Landscape Initiative
A variety of habitat programs play a key role in creating important connections across landscapes that are essential for wildlife species. BWSR programs represented in the graphic above complement conservation landscapes managed by other state, federal, Tribal and local partners

BWSR Living Landscape Map 

The BWSR Living Landscape map was created to guide BWSR efforts to protect at-risk wildlife, increase landscape resiliency, and expand habitat corridors along waterways, roads and utility corridors. The purpose of the data is to guide decision making for the BWSR Living Landscapes Initiative including project selection for individual conservation programs. The data will be updated periodically to add new habitat corridors that are being developed across the state.  The data can also be downloaded at the Minnesota Geospatial Commons.

 

 

A map of BWSR Living Landscape Priority areas depicted by green corridors

Related BWSR Programs

Lawns to Legumes Program (residential landscape focused pollinator program)

Habitat Friendly Solar Program (recognizes habitat as part of grounded-mounted solar projects)

Habitat Friendly Utilities Program (collaboration with utility companies to incorporate habitat into a wide range of projects)

Habitat Enhancement Landscape Pilot (HELP) (strategic habitat on conservation lands and natural areas for pollinators and a wide range of beneficial insects)

Conservation Easements  (restored prairie, wetland, forest and shoreline easements)

Clean Water Fund Projects (habitat is a secondary benefit of water quality projects)

Wetland Mitigation/Banking  (high quality restored wetlands and buffers)

Forest Stewardship Planning

Cooperative Weed Management Area Program (partnerships to share resources and manage invasive species across ownership boundaries)

Partners

For more information contact: Dan Shaw at Dan.Shaw@state.mn.us.

Living Landscapes Initiative Resources

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Contact

Dan Shaw
Senior Ecologist/Vegetation Specialist
Jason Beckler
Ecological Science Conservationist
Erin Loeffler
Ecological Science Conservationist