C05: TPL’s Toolbox: Communicating Benefits of Conservation with Data
A growing number of tools and resources can help land trusts identify where conservation is needed most. However, navigating these resources and communicating the results can be confusing and time consuming. Join members of Trust for Public Land’s new Land and People Lab to learn about simple, accessible tools and resources that can pinpoint where conservation is needed most to increase equitable access to the outdoors, support climate action and spur economic benefits. Access: Did you know that across the US, over 100 million people do not have access to a park within a 10-minute walk of their home? Learn how the ParkServe mapping platform empowers users to plan and advocate for new local parks to help close gaps in park access. Climate Action: Conservation Carbon Map is a newly updated tool that maps and quantifies forest carbon storage and sequestration, threats to that carbon from development, disease, and wildlife; and where co-benefits can be maximized. Economic benefits: TPL’s Conservation Economics team has analyzed the economic benefits of parks and green space in dozens of communities in the US. Learn how this research was applied in New York City, where TPL estimated ecosystem services and economic development benefits to help target potential investors for long-term park maintenance. Attendees to this session will learn how to leverage the data and evidence presented in these tools to help make the case for new or expanded funding for conservation, in places and for people that are most in need.
Session Location: Oregon Convention Center
F01: Maximizing Forest Carbon Benefits of Land Protection: Decoding the Black Box of Carbon Data
Land trusts have a major role to play in addressing the climate crisis. Across the U.S. there are carbon-rich forests that are vulnerable to development, wildfire and a host of other threats. These lands must be protected. This session will explore how land trusts can effectively and efficiently identify these carbon-rich landscapes and then evaluate, at the parcel level, the carbon impact of conservation – now and into the future. Presenters will teach attendees how to navigate existing datasets and two publicly available online tools that can be used to create sophisticated carbon data analyses for any parcel or region in the lower 48 states. Presenters will also highlight use cases and examples of easement terms and management plan guidelines that can be used to improve carbon storage and sequestration. Lastly, we will discuss how carbon data can help build successful applications for new federal funds, including the $700 million Forest Legacy program. This session will be highly interactive and feedback from attendees will help shape future data and tool development being led by a host of national NGOs and the USFS. Note that this session is meant to support advancing forest carbon goals outside of carbon markets and will not discuss market trends.
Session Location: Oregon Convention Center
