General
Information
Problem:
Beyond the bumper-to-bumper freeways, beyond the tiled roofs of the never-ending
housing developments, beyond the smog and the billboards, Southern California
is one of the most biologically diverse areas of the nation. But the area
is expected to house millions more people over the next quarter century,
making the need for attention to the health and sustainability of the
region’s animals and ecosystems urgent. Successful conservation-oriented
scientific efforts in this geographically and demographically diverse
region must bring together a multitude of stakeholders.
Solution: Southern California Ecosystem Health Program
(SCEHP)
In a region fraught with land and water use battles, stakeholders need
unbiased, objective, top-quality scientific information. Without solid
facts, decisions about where to develop land, how to manage endangered
species, how to prevent massive wildfires, how to help people live near
potentially-dangerous wildlife—can be nearly impossible. The management
agencies, recognizing the need for outside scientific expertise, came
to the WHC to help bring the science to build sound solutions. SCEHP brings
together a series of studies to address conservation issues in this region.
SCHEP projects are based on stakeholder priorities, funded annually at
$300,000 to 600,000 through a combination of public and private funds,
and aim to:
- To
ensure the health of wildlife and their Southern California wildlands,
- To
find the balance between the needs of people and wildlife , and
- To
create a model for solving problems in other areas facing fragmentation
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