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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!