Abstract
Public lands alone are insufficient to address the needs of most at-risk wildlife species in the U.S. As a result, a variety of voluntary incentive programs have emerged to recruit private landowners into conservation efforts that restore and manage the habitats needed by specific species. We review the role of one such effort, Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW), initiated by the Natural Resources Conservation Service in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Using two at-risk species in the eastern U.S. (where private lands dominate), we show the substantial potential that WLFW has for restoring and maintaining needed habitats. Monitoring how effective these efforts are on populations of the target species has been challenging, and both monitoring and implementation are being modified in response to new information. Identifying landowner motivations is essential for developing long-term relationships and conservation success. As WLFW projects develop, they are moving toward a more holistic ecosystem approach, within which the conservation goals of at-risk species are embedded.
Highlights
As human populations and their influence expand, the challenge of maintaining adequate habitat for species that are threatened with extinction has become urgent
Because economic concerns affect decisions made by private landowners, incentive programs have been developed by state and federal agencies or non-governmental organizations to encourage landowner participation in conservation actions
The contributions of Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) projects for developing and protecting habitats for at-risk species have been substantial, and these efforts are usually nested within larger partnerships with agencies that track population trends as part of their mission
Summary
As human populations and their influence expand, the challenge of maintaining adequate habitat for species that are threatened with extinction has become urgent. Because economic concerns affect decisions made by private landowners, incentive programs have been developed by state and federal agencies or non-governmental organizations to encourage landowner participation in conservation actions These programs are intended to benefit a range of taxa from popular game species to at-risk plants and animals. We review WLFW efforts to aid in the recovery of two at-risk species in the eastern United States where private lands dominate the region and partnerships with landowners are essential for achieving habitat goals. Both species were among the first to be included in WLFW efforts and may provide insights into the effectiveness of this approach
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