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Pennsylvania
Biodiversity Partnership 2004
Conference |
Economic
Prosperity and Biodiversity Conservation:
Planning for Pennsylvania's Future
Harrisburg,
PA
November 9-10, 2004
Conference
Goal
The
goal of this conference is to bring together biodiversity experts, state
and local government officials, policy-makers, business and industry
representatives, educators, conservation practitioners, sportsmen and
women, land managers, and others concerned with natural resources in
Pennsylvania to continue dialogue on the Pennsylvania Biodiversity Conservation
Plan and to discuss the draft issues and recommendations for the Plan.
Conference Background
The
loss of biodiversity impacts all ecosystems and habitats in Pennsylvania
and thus affects all Pennsylvanians regardless of economic level, race,
gender, age, or where they live. Despite the importance of biodiversity
to the economic vigor of the state and the quality of life of its citizens,
Pennsylvania lacks a comprehensive strategy for biodiversity conservation.
With support from federal, state, and private funding, the Pennsylvania
Biodiversity Partnership (PBP), a public-private coalition dedicated
to building a biodiversity conservation movement in the state, embarked
in 2002 on an ambitious project to address that critical need with the
development of a statewide plan for biodiversity conservation.
The Pennsylvania Biodiversity Conservation Plan (BCP) is a multi-phase
project with a projected completion date of late 2005. The first phase
of the plan produced Biodiversity in Pennsylvania - Snapshot 2002.
This report is a concise literature-based summary of the present status
of Pennsylvania's biodiversity, including wildlife and their habitats,
threats, laws, policies, funding mechanisms, and educational resources
relevant to biodiversity. Building on Biodiversity in Pennsylvania,
Phase 2 produced the Blueprint for the BCP, which pinpointed gaps in
our knowledge, identified ways to fill those gaps, and provided a blueprint
for how to achieve the final plan. These documents have served as the
focus of public outreach efforts, which have occurred throughout the
planning process.
To date, this project has involved stakeholder groups throughout Pennsylvania,
including state government agencies, conservation groups, academic institutions,
sportsmen and women, business and industry, local government, and private
landowners. Thousands of citizens throughout the state have been involved
in development of the biodiversity plan through public comment forms
at diverse venues; focus groups to discuss the plan; PBP’s 2001
conference; presentations by PBP staff; public input forms on the PBP
website; and visits to PBP’s exhibit at various conferences, meetings,
and other public events. Through these various avenues, comments about
the biodiversity plan have been received from residents of all counties
in the state!
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