Environmental Entrepreneurs : Keys to Achieving Wilderness Conservation Goals?

Historically Americans have relied on the federal government for wilderness protection. But the federal government has made promises too politically expensive to keep. In North America, conservation efforts are now directed to preserving biologically valuable lands outside our wilderness areas and parks. Especially those that provide habitat corridors between protected areas. In the Western United States many of the most ecologically valuable lands are in private ownership. This creates new challenges for conservationists, who traditionally relied on the federal government for public land protection. Environmental entrepreneurs specialize in identifying conservation opportunities, mobilizing resources, and building a constituency for conservation. This role is a vital, but often ignored piece of the conservation puzzle. A key to their success is the recognition that solutions will be more acceptable and successful if locals are both the beneficiaries of and participants in conservation efforts