A state model for implementing stewardship incentives to conserve biodiversity and endangered species

Defenders of Wildlife, a national non-profit conservation organization, has facilitated several processes to determine which incentive options are the most likely to produce tangible benefits to biodiversity. The Oregon Biodiversity Project engaged a diverse group of scientists, agencies, and policy experts in a 5-year process that developed a statewide biodiversity strategy. The strategy identified 42 areas, where desired ecological attributes converge with political and social circumstances likely to result in beneficial conservation actions. The project also addressed the need for incentives to be used in addition to regulatory strategies to improve the protection of biodiversity across the working landscape. A more coherent framework is needed to deliver incentives efficiently, and to monitor their effectiveness in producing desired results. Clear biodiversity goals are needed to help establish priorities. Four specific ideas are offered to help focus investments and conservation actions: (1) regional habitat conservation plans could be used to help individual landowners meet the requirements of the Endangered Species Act within a broader context; (2) a state management option outlines some ideas about how states might approach biodiversity conservation programs in a holistic way; (3) a proposal for new conservation area designations has the potential to implement sustainable development goals across mixed ownerships; and (4) finally, stewardship agreements are discussed as a tool to integrate individual land management plans into a comprehensive conservation strategy.