What is a Landscape?

"Landscape-level conservation" is about protecting and restoring natural systems across various types of land use including in and around protected areas at a regional level.

The Mesoamerican Biological Corridor is the broader landscape in which all of EcoLogic’s eight active projects are situated. The Mesoamerican Biological Corridor is a system of protected areas and connecting corridors that extend through the length of Central America and part of Mexico. It is classified as a biodiversity hotspot for conservation priority, is considered a global restoration hotspot, and also has a rich tapestry of indigenous cultures.

A key aspect of our landscape-level approach is the goal of connecting people with partners, and connecting initiatives and impacts across regions. Over time, EcoLogic has modified the criteria we use to evaluate a potential project site to favor locations that provide greater opportunities for demonstration projects, learning exchanges, and habitat connectivity. Other changes in our practices include an increase in the type of learning exchanges we promote as we seek to bring together more groups of community members from different parts of the region to share their knowledge and practical experience.

We are developing specific ways we can facilitate conversations and the piloting of new projects by groups of key stakeholders, including:

- local, national, and regional representatives
- interested parties from the public and private sectors
- other nongovernmental organizations
- rural community leaders

EcoLogic also is investing time and strategic planning to regional-level partnerships and programs and finding ways to integrate our community collaborators and regional partners into these efforts, so that rural and indigenous peoples can have a greater say in the solutions being implemented to support positive environmental change at a regional or landscape level. In doing so we expect these efforts and activities will create a productive environment where rural communities are more engaged and empowered as stewards of their natural resources and local ecosystems and thus, working together, are effecting national, local, and regional change.

Because we work in regions rich in biodiversity, preserving corridors for nature and wildlife is also a key priority in our landscape-level approach. Visit our Areas of High Biodiversity page to learn more.