Hazard Mitigation Planning

Recently, increased emphasis has been placed on non-structural and nature-based hazard mitigation solutions, including the restoration of wetlands and floodplains, as cost-effective alternatives for flood hazard mitigation that also help achieve conservation goals like maintaining biodiversity. FEMA hazard mitigation grant programs could provide potential funding that could pay for the restoration and protection of critical natural infrastructure and improve outcomes and reduce costs from the next disaster.

Bioenergy and Invasion

Many of the characteristics of desirable bioenergy feedstocks are also associated with heightened invasion risk. By selecting native or non-invasive feedstocks and by adopting cultivation practices that minimize the risk of escape into the environment, we can ensure that renewable fuel development will not contribute to the introduction or spread of invasive species.

Ecosystem Services Projects

Compensatory Mitigation

  • Wetlands: ELI has published multiple studies focusing on compensatory mitigation, providing citizen groups; local, state, and federal agencies; the public; and the regulated community with the information they need to evaluate the ability of wetland mitigation banking and in-lieu fee mitigation to achieve their regional wetland conservation and land use planning objectives. Click here to read more on ELI’s research on compensatory mitigation.
ELI's Biodiversity Conservation Program

 

ELI operates the Biodiversity Conservation Program, an on-going collaborative program devoted to improving biodiversity protection by identifying obstacles to and opportunities for conservation of biological diversity on the state and local levels. We have collaborated with local partners from a range of states to formulate and implement statewide strategies for biodiversity protection and restoration. In addition, we have sought to undertake national-level research that is designed to support state efforts to conserve biodiversity.

Conservation Thresholds for Land Use Planners: Advisory Committee

Samuel Brody, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX

Nina Chambers
Director of Programs
Sonoran Institute
Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming

Patrick Crist, Ph.D.
Director, Conservation Planning NatureServe
Boulder, CO

Christopher J. Duerksen, Principal
Clarion Associates
Denver, CO

Craig Groves
Director, Conservation Methods and Tools
The Nature Conservancy
Conservation Strategies Division
Bozeman, MT

Encouraging Cooperative Management of Invasive Species

 

ELI supports and encourages interstate and interagency cooperation and coordination on invasive species issues. We partner with interagency invasive species groups, such as regional panels of the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force, to assist these groups in their efforts to promote harmonization of legal approaches across state and agency lines and to proactively identify and address emerging invasive species pathways and threats.

ELI's Invasive Species Program: Strengthening National, Regional, and State Invasive Species Policy

ELI is the foremost authority on state laws and regulations related to invasive species. Our 2002 report, Halting the Invasion, remains the seminal resource on how states can approach invasive species policy. Other important contributions include evaluations of regulatory gaps in specific state and federal laws for forest species, weeds, aquatic invasive species, and animals.

Featured Areas of Expertise and Resources:

Maryland Offshore Energy Framework
Author
James McElfish, Daniel Schramm, and Adam Schempp
Date Released
September 2009
Maryland Offshore Energy Framework

ELI’s Oceans and Land & Biodiversity staff analyze the tools available to Maryland’s Coastal Zone Management Program to address new energy activities in state and federal coastal waters. The report assesses Maryland’s existing laws and policies, interstate agreements, and federal laws, and identifies potential measures that can help Maryland create an Offshore Energy Framework.

Lasting Landscapes: Reflections on the Role of Conservation Science in Land Use Planning
Author
Environmental Law Institute
Date Released
March 2007

Land use and development decisions made at the local, county, and state levels have a significant and cumulative effect on the conservation of native species diversity. Through their planning and local regulatory powers, land use planners and local elected officials have the ability to influence the types, extent, and arrangement of land uses across the landscape. These patterns can have a profound influence on the viability of biodiversity far beyond municipal boundaries.

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