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Themes from August 30 Facilitated Discussions–Drafted by the Lead Facilitators
- Collaboration needs advocates and champions -- collaborative leaders are needed at all levels.
- Build on existing models (informal networks, existing federal, state and tribal programs and international experiences).
- Share success stories and develop ways to celebrate successes to build motivation and sustain commitment.
- Provide generous federal support -need for funding and staff to support collaborative processes -recognize that these processes are long-term.
- Need funds to support planning, long term monitoring and measurement.
- Use funds in creative ways to encourage partnerships, support existing efforts, and leverage new funds and reward success.
- Collaborative work will not reduce resource needs -it may increase them.
- Strengthen the effective use, quality and credibility of information, with special emphasis 011 local knowledge-for goal setting, monitoring progress and evaluating success.
- Develop more accessible information and ways for citizens to access information, "one- stop shopping."
- Starting at the local level is important in the development of trusting relationships -this may take considerable time.
- Work to develop trusting relationships at all levels and between the federal agencies and with state agencies.
- Transform organizational culture:
- Making collaboration "at home" in the agencies (hire, train, align, reward, retire and dismiss where needed).
- Make policies procedures, and rules related to collaborative conservation compatible across federal, state and local agencies to avoid unnecessary delay and frustration.
- Review and revise/remove policies that impede collaborative conservation across and within agencies.
- Change risk aversion in federal culture (protect and reward risk takers -don't penalize people who try these processes if they do not work).
- Articulate clear parameters about federal expectations, authorities, and abilities for cooperative conservation.
- Collaboration needs to recognize tribal sovereignty at the outset.
- Timelines and cycles of the federal government do not mesh well with collaborative projects (turnover, administrative deadlines, budget cycles, election cycles).
- Sometimes even a well-designed cooperative conservation effort can be jeopardized by "late hits" (e.g., changing of the decision making framework, legal challenge).
- Need to recognize and manage the inevitable tension between national policies and local interests
- Integrate representation of local and national constituencies in cooperative conservation
- Goals should reflect both federal and local interests.
- Recognize that collaborations and partnerships that are initiated voluntarily are often most effective. Recognizing the importance of local initiation is vital.
- Projects should be developed and implemented in a holistic and sustainable manner - often at the ecosystem or landscape scale.
- Need to prepare for and address unintended consequences.
- Look for unlikely models and partners to develop multi-purpose projects.
- Initiate collaborative processes and partnerships early-before a crisis occurs.
- Full inclusion is important and it can be difficult to achieve -even a challenge at this conference.
- Need to involve people who are close to the land or resource in cooperative conservation efforts -land owners, recreationists, sportsmen.
- There is a tension between the virtues of uniformity and flexibility -can cooperative conservation address this tension?
- One size does not fit all -- collaboratives need to be flexible and adaptable.
- Recognize the key role that states and tribes play in fostering and implementing partnerships and collaborations.
White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation
Participant breakdown based on 20% random sample
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Federal Agencies
State Agencies
City/County Government
NGOs
Collaborative Groups
Industry and Business
Tribal Organizations
Agricultural Organizations
Individuals
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34.9%
12.3%
5.4%
19.2%
12.8%
9.9%
2.0%
2.0%
1.5%
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