A conservation roadmap to stay connected through climate change

Life moves. Seeds disperse. Birds migrate. Wildlife populations grow and shrink. Nature needs space.

But as our landscape has changed with highways, suburbs, cities, and farming, it has become more difficult for wild things to survive and find the space they need. On top of that, climate change is causing species to move even more and change their home ranges.

How can we ensure nature has the space it needs through this difficult time?

Meet Nature’s Network, Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy's Conservation and Climate Resiliency Plan.

“Nature’s Network” is Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy’s strategic map for protecting land. By mapping the best areas to protect for water quality, biodiversity, and habitat connectivity and combining them, they could see places on the landscape where conservation could achieve many of our goals.

This example is part of a suite of conservation plans, story maps and communications completed by Land and Climate Grant awardees. The Land and Climate Grant Program is a joint initiative of Land Trust Alliance and the Open Space Institute. The Program provides grants and technical assistance to land trusts and conservation groups to support the development of climate-informed land conservation, stewardship or communications plans addressing issues such as habitat resilience, carbon mitigation and community adaptation to climate impacts such as stronger storms, flooding, drought, fire or extreme heat.