APPLYING GEOSCIENCE TO COLLABORATIVE LARGE-SCALE LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION: A CASE STUDY FROM THE MOJAVE AND COLORADO DESERTS BIOSPHERE REGION

Biosphere Regions (BRs) are areas designated by the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program (MAB) that provide a landscape-scale forum for addressing environmental and social issues, predicated on the notion that healthy ecosystems and human well-being are inherently interconnected. One of 28 BRs in the U.S., the Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Region (MCDBR) in southeastern California was created in 1984 and renewed in 2017. The MCDBR encompasses a significant portion of its namesake deserts across an area the size of Ohio. The MCDBR is over 75% federal land and includes the hottest, driest, and lowest places in North America, habitat for endemic and endangered species, thousands of years of human history, vast opportunities for recreation, research, and education. It is adjacent to the second-largest population center in the United States, and is home to over a million residents including several sovereign tribal nations. The geography and purpose of the MCDBR provide a unique design for governments (federal, state, and tribal), academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, and local communities to collaborate voluntarily on regional and local issues.

Some of the most pressing issues facing the MCDBR include groundwater use, renewable energy development, a proposed high-speed rail corridor that would bisect the MCDBR, and climate change, particularly its impact on human health. These issues span land management boundaries, making it more important than ever for MCDBR stakeholders to coordinate resource and human protection efforts. Effective communication and shared understanding between organizations is necessary to achieve these goals, and integrative mapping is a natural first tool. Situating stakeholders and issues in their spatial context is a powerful strategy for engaging partners and identifying opportunities for collaboration. In this case study, we present key principles for using mapping to communicate among stakeholders and increase engagement for regional conservation through the lens of environmental, social, and economic issues in the MCDBR.