Biodiversity Archives - Salazar Center for North American Conservation

The 6th Salazar Center International Symposium on Conservation Impact will take place May 5 through May 7, 2025, in Vancouver, British Columbia.

In 2022, over 100 nations signed the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), committing to protecting 30 percent of the world’s biodiversity by 2030 and to restoring the integrity, resilience, and connectivity of natural ecosystems globally by 2050. Our challenge is critical and urgent with only five years left to meet our 2030 targets. What are we getting right? How do we scale and adapt these solutions across North America to meet the seriousness of the moment? What gaps must we fill, and what barriers must we overcome? In addition to focusing on science to meet our climate and biodiversity targets, can we repurpose our economic system to enable dramatically better, faster, and more conservation for the benefit of our communities now and for generations to come?

The 2025 Symposium will explore how we can track our progress toward our collective biodiversity goals and how we might evolve the structures and dynamics of our social and economic systems to ensure long-term natural security and socioeconomic stability. We will invite speakers to tackle the difficult questions we must grapple with to build a future that’s fair for everyone on a finite planet.

University of British Columbia, The Nest

6133 University Blvd Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1

Key Themes

Biodiversity
Climate change
Nature-based solutions

Registration is open! The Salazar Center’s fifth annual International Symposium will be held October 11– 12, 2023.

Register by Friday, July 28 to receive special early-bird pricing!

Across the globe, biodiversity is rapidly deteriorating—faster than any other time in human history—and North America is no exception: over 30% of its biodiversity has declined since 1970. This devastating trend threatens species, ecosystems, and the services they provide, which in turn form the foundation for human well-being and livelihoods.

Experts and leaders from around the world have acknowledged that the climate and biodiversity crises are inseparable and must ‘be addressed urgently and holistically’ for the benefit of both people and the planet. In this response to this crucial moment, the Salazar Center’s fifth annual International Symposium on Conservation Impact will focus on nature-positive solutions and how they can catalyze better outcomes for climate, biodiversity, and human well-being.

Learn more

Subscribe to the Center’s newsletter to get updates sent to your inbox.

Date	Start Time	End Time
Oct. 11, 2023

Travel Information

CSU Spur is located northeast of I-25 and I-70 in Denver, between the Washington Street and Brighton Boulevard exits. Free parking is available in Lot N (map).

Driving directions
from the north

Take I-25 south to 58th Ave. (exit 215)
Travel east on 58th Ave.
Turn south onto Franklin St.
Continue onto National Western Drive

from the south

Take I-25 north to I-70 east
Travel east on I-70 to Washington St. (exit 206)
Turn north onto Washington St.
Turn east onto E. 47th Ave.
E. 47th Ave. turns into E. 46th Ave.
Turn north onto National Western Drive

CSU Spur, Hydro Building

4777 National Western Drive, Denver, CO 80216

Key Themes

Biodiversity
Climate change
conservation
Nature-based solutions

Urban areas are not always recognized for their biodiversity, however recent work has shown that many cities host a critical array of plant and animal life. With over half of the global human population living in urban areas, communities must find tools and strategies to promote coexistence with urban biodiversity in order to support sustainable development efforts. In this first webinar in the Urban Stories miniseries, panelists from Los Angeles, San Antonio, and Toluca, Mexico highlighted how they are working to conserve biodiversity in each of their cities, including using tools such as the Singapore Biodiversity Index.

Watch the recording.

This event is part of the Salazar Center’s Urban Conservation Stories webinar series. Each of the three events in the series is focused on a core theme: biodiversity, water in arid environments, and landscape connectivity. Experts from across North America will share their important work that can allow cities to contribute to national conservation targets, while creating thriving urban environments. Learn more about the other events.

Michelle Barton, Biodiversity Program Manager, City of Los Angeles Sanitation & Environment

Michelle Barton, M.S. is an Environmental Supervisor with LA Sanitation & Environment (LASAN) and manages the City of LA’s Biodiversity Program. She recently completed the baseline measurement of the brand new LA Biodiversity Index and facilitated the creation of the first Healthy Soils Strategy for the City of Los Angeles. Michelle earned her B.S. in Biology from UCLA in 2010 and her M.S. in Biology from CSULB in 2016.

Julia Murphy, Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of San Antonio-Office of Sustainability

Julia Murphy, AICP, LEED AP ND, is the City of San Antonio Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer working on the city’s first climate action and adaptation plan, focusing on energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, green infrastructure, and air quality. Murphy has been an invited speaker at state, national and international events and has published articles about natural resource conservation initiatives in the Texas Hill Country.

Karina Avila, Jefa, Departamento de Forestacion del Municipio de Toluca; Chief, Forestry Department of Toluca City, Mexico

Karina is currently Chief of Forestry in the city of Toluca. She is the former Director of Environment, and Director of Climate Change in Toluca City, Mexico. She also coordinated the Red Metropolitana de Monitoreo Atmosferico and was a technical assistant to the Cooperacion Alemana al Desarrollo Sustentable (GIZ). She participated in the meeting of experts to update the Singapore Index as a contribution to the technical notebooks of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Date	Start Time	End Time
Nov. 9, 2022	12:00 pm	1:00 pm

Contact Information

If you have any questions about this webinar, please reach out to Shoshanna Dean at [email protected].

Key Themes

Biodiversity
Climate adaptation
Community-based conservation
Connectivity
Urban nature

Presented in partnership with Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, the Center for Collaborative Conservation, and the Institute for Science & Policy at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

Grasslands form one of North America’s largest and most vital ecosystems, supporting crucial environmental functions like water supply, soil health, and biodiversity. Grasslands are also essential for agriculture, which has provided us with food and livelihoods for millennia. In recent decades, the tension between conserving grasslands and developing them to accommodate a growing population has only increased, exacerbated further by the impacts of climate change. What does a truly sustainable and resilient future for our continent’s grasslands look like? What will it take to achieve it? How can you help?

Join us virtually this spring as we explore the science of grasslands and the complexities of managing them successfully in the modern age. Over the course of this four-part webinar series, our expert panelists will share the ecological role of birds, plants, and mammals; examine how current grassland practices impact Coloradans every day; consider the long cultural history of the grasslands (including Native & Indigenous land use practices and contemporary ranching practices) and much more. Each episode will feature a range of diverse perspectives in the pursuit of shared values and understanding.

Episode 1: The Science of Grasslands
Episode 2: People & Grasslands
Episode 3: Back from the Brink: Restoring Wildlife in Larimer County Grassland Ecosystems
Episode 4: The Path Ahead

Date	Start Time	End Time
April 13, 2022	12:00 pm	1:00 pm
April 20, 2022	12:00 pm	1:00 pm
April 27, 2022	12:00 pm	1:00 pm
May 4, 2022	12:00 pm	1:00 pm

Contact Information

Jen Kovecses: [email protected]

Key Themes

Biodiversity
Connectivity
Healthy landscapes
Large landscapes

In this session of our Connecting for Conservation webinar series, panelists from Canada and the U.S. discussed the importance of protecting North American forests to achieve durable outcomes for people, biodiversity, and the climate.

The U.S. and Canada have made unprecedented commitments to climate and biodiversity, including the protection of 30% of their lands by 2030. To meet these goals, countries need strong foundations to create robust policy frameworks that protect the carbon-rich forests of North America. The panel highlighted weaknesses in current national forest carbon accounting practices in Canada and ways the government can leverage forest protection to achieve climate goals, as well as new spatial tools to map mature forests for the conterminous U.S. to inform national conservation and climate target setting. Together, they explored the need to address underlying barriers to the realization of strong forest-climate solutions policies, and opportunities for the countries to work together to address them and create a new model of global forest leadership.

Pictured: Tongass National Forest, Alaska. Photo by Dominick DellaSala.

Dr. Dominick A. DellaSala, Chief Scientist, Wild Heritage, Project of Earth Island Institute

Dr. DellaSala is Chief Scientist at Wild Heritage and former President of the Society for Conservation Biology, North America Section. He is an internationally renowned author of over 250 science papers on forest and fire ecology, conservation biology, endangered species management, and landscape ecology. Learn more about Dr. DellaSala.

Graham Saul, Executive Director, Nature Canada

Graham joined Nature Canada 2017 and has more than 25 years of experience working on social and environmental justice issues. Previously, he worked for Friends of the Earth Canada and Oil Change International and Climate Action Network Canada and is a founding member of Ecology Ottawa. Learn more about Graham.

This webinar was produced in partnership with Nature Canada, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Wild Heritage.

Date	Start Time	End Time
March 22, 2022	12:00 pm	1:00 pm

Contact Information

Jen Kovecses: [email protected]

Key Themes

Biodiversity
Climate change
Healthy landscapes
Indigenous conservation

Watch the Symposium recordings!

In 2022, the symposium focused on transboundary conservation, specifically across the US-Mexico border, which spans nearly 2,000 miles across six distinct ecoregions and shapes a landscape that is home to more than 15 million people. The region represents a unique opportunity to explore how to improve conservation outcomes for both people and ecosystems – and how to do so in the context of multinational, transboundary collaboration. The symposium explored:

Opportunities for, and barriers to, effective conservation in Mexico and the border region
Climate change impacts on ecological and human communities
How to balance cultural needs, sustainable economic development, security, and the health of natural systems
The role of Indigenous leadership in conservation
How the region’s distinct history and biogeography offer insights and learnings for other parts of North America
And more!

Watch the recordings from Thursday and Friday.

Past Symposia:

2021: Next steps for the Biden administration’s America the Beautiful initiative
2020: North American cities enhancing natural systems to improve community health and support climate resilience
2019: Landscape connectivity – conservation policy, practice, and research

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Mighty Arrow Family Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Wilburforce Foundation, Great Outdoor Colorado, Center for Collaborative Conservation, and New Belgium Brewing

Key Themes

Biodiversity
Community-based conservation
Connectivity
Crossing boundaries
Indigenous conservation
Large landscapes

Description

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Fames ac turpis egestas integer eget aliquet nibh praesent. Praesent tristique magna sit amet purus gravida. Aliquet eget sit amet tellus cras adipiscing enim eu. Sapien pellentesque habitant morbi tristique. Ut morbi tincidunt augue interdum. Dictum fusce ut placerat orci nulla pellentesque dignissim enim sit. Vestibulum lectus mauris ultrices eros in. Eu lobortis elementum nibh tellus molestie nunc non blandit. Aliquam etiam erat velit scelerisque in dictum. Feugiat nisl pretium fusce id velit. Nibh venenatis cras sed felis eget.

Nulla facilisi cras fermentum odio eu feugiat pretium nibh ipsum. Pretium vulputate sapien nec sagittis. Tortor at risus viverra adipiscing at. Nisl pretium fusce id velit ut tortor pretium viverra suspendisse. Id neque aliquam vestibulum morbi blandit cursus risus at. Eu mi bibendum neque egestas congue quisque egestas diam. Risus ultricies tristique nulla aliquet enim tortor at. Orci sagittis eu volutpat odio facilisis mauris sit amet. Consectetur lorem donec massa sapien faucibus et molestie. Dictumst vestibulum rhoncus est pellentesque elit ullamcorper dignissim cras tincidunt. Bibendum arcu vitae elementum curabitur vitae nunc sed velit dignissim. Sed nisi lacus sed viverra tellus in hac.

Pharetra vel turpis nunc eget lorem. Sed risus ultricies tristique nulla aliquet enim. Diam volutpat commodo sed egestas egestas fringilla. Venenatis urna cursus eget nunc. Ante in nibh mauris cursus mattis. Blandit cursus risus at ultrices mi. Ullamcorper a lacus vestibulum sed arcu non. Duis ut diam quam nulla porttitor. Nec feugiat in fermentum posuere urna nec. Duis tristique sollicitudin nibh sit. Nulla pharetra diam sit amet nisl.

Venenatis urna cursus eget nunc scelerisque viverra. Felis eget nunc lobortis mattis. In hendrerit gravida rutrum quisque non tellus orci. Pulvinar sapien et ligula ullamcorper malesuada proin. In hac habitasse platea dictumst quisque sagittis purus sit amet. Mauris pellentesque pulvinar pellentesque habitant. Ornare aenean euismod elementum nisi quis eleifend quam adipiscing vitae. Ipsum consequat nisl vel pretium. Vestibulum sed arcu non odio euismod lacinia. Quis viverra nibh cras pulvinar mattis. Sem nulla pharetra diam sit amet nisl suscipit adipiscing bibendum. Eget magna fermentum iaculis eu. Sed felis eget velit aliquet sagittis id consectetur. Interdum consectetur libero id faucibus nisl tincidunt eget nullam. Pharetra convallis posuere morbi leo. Fringilla phasellus faucibus scelerisque eleifend donec pretium. Fringilla ut morbi tincidunt augue interdum velit. Ultrices gravida dictum fusce ut placerat orci nulla pellentesque. Massa tincidunt nunc pulvinar sapien et ligula ullamcorper malesuada. Duis ut diam quam nulla porttitor massa id neque.

Contact Information

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Download

Example Publication Download File

Publish Date

January 1, 2021

Authors

Devin A. Koncar, PhD Director of Intelligence

Key Themes

Biodiversity
Connectivity
Urban nature

In collaboration with an unprecedented coalition of university centers across the western United States, the Salazar Center is co-hosting a new webinar series! Conservation Conversations will explore the conservation challenges of the future and identify specific policies, programs, and strategies to help secure the long-term health of the nation’s natural resources, wildlife, and landscapes, and broaden the benefits for all Americans.

This installment of the series was hosted by the O’Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West at University of Montana, and panelists discussed ways to address current conservation challenges such as racism, sexism, and longstanding practices of exclusion of BIPOC while addressing climate change, co-existence, and the loss of biodiversity so that all Americans can benefit from the knowledge and expertise that Indigenous Americans have to offer in helping to guide the conservation of our natural resources for generations to come.

Date	Start Time	End Time
Oct. 21, 2020	12:00 pm	1:00 pm

Contact Information

Dominique Gómez: [email protected]

Conservation Conversations webinar series

Key Themes

Biodiversity
Climate change
Community-based conservation
Diversity equity inclusion
Healthy landscapes
Indigenous conservation

This installment of the series was hosted by the Ecosystem Workforce Program in collaboration between the Institute for a Sustainable Environment (University of Oregon) and the College of Forestry (Oregon State University), and panelists provided a range of perspectives from applied social science and policy action around wildfire to suggest bold new ideas about how people in the western U.S. may live with fire in the 21st century, and how conservation policy could spur more effective collective action to address wildfire risk across public and private lands.

Date	Start Time	End Time
Sep. 9, 2020	1:00 pm	2:00 pm

Contact Information

Dominique Gómez: [email protected]

Key Themes

Biodiversity
Climate adaptation
Climate change
Conservation policy
Resiliency

The inaugural installment of the series was hosted by the University of California, Berkeley’s Institute for Parks, People and Biodiversity and explored the current effectiveness of biodiversity conservation, especially in light of climate change, within existing national parks, wilderness areas, national conservation areas, and other legally protected federal and state public lands. Panelists also discussed actions needed to meet the Convention on Biological Diversity goals of 30 by 30.

Date	Start Time	End Time
July 29, 2020	12:00 pm	1:00 pm

Contact Information

Dominique Gómez: [email protected]

Key Themes

Biodiversity
Climate change
Connectivity
Conservation policy
Healthy landscapes
Large landscapes
Resiliency

Urban conservation is a major priority to build the resilience of cities to climate change and improve the health of city residents. In a preview of topics to be addressed at our 2020 symposium, this installment of the Connecting for Conservation webinar series explored how two unique North American cities are providing very different examples of the challenges and approaches to protect urban forests.

The webinar featured Iñaki Echeverria and Chad Townsend in a discussion of different approaches in North America to forestry efforts in urban environments.

Iñaki Echeverria

Director, Parque Ecologico Lago de Texcoco; Graduate Lecturer, PennDesign; Founder, Iñaki Echeverria Arquitectos

Learn more about Iñaki

Chad Townsend

Senior Planner, Environment and Sustainability, Vancouver Park Board

Learn more about the Vancouver Park Board

Date	Start Time	End Time
April 29, 2020	12:00 pm	1:00 pm

Contact Information

Dominique Gómez: [email protected]

Key Themes

Biodiversity
Climate adaptation
Healthy landscapes
Resiliency
Urban nature

The inaugural Salazar Center International Symposium on Conservation Impact established a forum to track, incent, recognize, and reward progress on conservation challenges across North America. It convened 200+ thought leaders from the arenas of conservation policy, practice, and research around the theme of landscape connectivity. Attendees represented 10 different city, county, state, and national agencies; 40 non-profit organizations and universities; and 19 funders from 15 states, Canada, and Mexico. Together, we explored opportunities to connect and collaborate across urban and rural, public and private, and wild and working lands; how landscape-scale conservation is critical to environmental and human health; and what opportunities and challenges exist surrounding their conservation and stewardship.

The Center also launched its first competitive prize for conservation impact at the symposium. The prize is one way in which the Salazar Center is pursuing bold new incentives to advance impactful, community-based conservation partnerships that support conservation at scale.

Speakers included:

Mark Anderson, The Nature Conservancy
Luis Benitez, VF Corporation
Loren BirdRattler, Blackfeet Nation
Eli Enns, The IISAAK Olam Foundation
Dr. Exequiel Ezcurra, University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States
Chancellor Tony Frank, CSU System
President Joyce McConnell, CSU
Cristina Mormorunni, Wildlife Conservation Society
Ruth Musgrave, National Caucus of Environmental Legislators
Governor Jared Polis, State of Colorado
Former Secretary Ken Salazar, US Department of the Interior
Gary Tabor, Center for Large Landscape Conservation
Terry Tatsey, Blackfeet Nation
Leigh Whelpton, Conservation Finance Network
Alison Woodley, C PAWS

Date	Start Time	End Time
Sep. 24, 2019	8:00 am	6:00 pm

McNichols Civic Center Building

144 W Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80202

Key Themes

Biodiversity
Climate change
Connectivity
Conservation funding and finance
Conservation policy
Crossing boundaries
Diversity equity inclusion
Healthy landscapes
Indigenous conservation
Large landscapes

Location

Key Themes

Registration is open! The Salazar Center’s fifth annual International Symposium will be held October 11– 12, 2023.

Learn more

Dates

Travel Information

Location

Key Themes

Michelle Barton, Biodiversity Program Manager, City of Los Angeles Sanitation & Environment

Julia Murphy, Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of San Antonio-Office of Sustainability

Karina Avila, Jefa, Departamento de Forestacion del Municipio de Toluca; Chief, Forestry Department of Toluca City, Mexico

Dates

Contact Information

Key Themes

Dates

Contact Information

Key Themes

Dr. Dominick A. DellaSala, Chief Scientist, Wild Heritage, Project of Earth Island Institute

Graham Saul, Executive Director, Nature Canada

Dates

Contact Information

Key Themes

Watch the Symposium recordings!

Key Themes

Description

Contact Information

Download

Publish Date

Authors

Key Themes

In The News

Dates

Contact Information

Key Themes

Dates

Contact Information

Key Themes

Dates

Contact Information

Key Themes

Iñaki Echeverria

Chad Townsend

Dates

Contact Information

Key Themes

Dates

Location

Key Themes