A Workshop to Test and Influence the Recommendations of TNC’s Planning Evolution Team

March 30-31st, 2011
San Antonio, TX

Space is limited and time is short. If you are interested in attending, please submit the attached application to Kirsten Evans by Feb. 7^th to receive priority consideration.

How do we integrate biodiversity and human wellbeing objectives into our projects?  As we move into ever-larger landscapes, is there a better way to integrate spatial and strategic planning? Can’t we just have one single, integrated approach to conservation planning and business planning?? Should we design multi-site initiatives the same way we design functional landscape projects?  The Planning Evolution Team (PET) has been laboring over the last nine months to identify innovations in planning from within the Conservancy and beyond to address critical challenges facing our project teams and strategies. 

We have made enough progress to articulate a set of recommendations – a set of framing questions and preliminary tools for answering them that both practitioners and managers can use to design and evaluate strategic actions at any scale (local to global, single landscapes to cross-cutting initiatives). We started the peer review process with a feedback session at the Conservation Coaches Rally with 150+ coaches. Now it is time to test and improve the recommendations by subjecting them to evaluation by diverse project types, so that the results can be incorporated into PET’s final recommendations due in June. 

To this end, we are inviting 6-8 projects from across all Conservancy geographies and focal area teams to join us in an intensive 2-day workshop to evaluate PET’s recommendations.  The projects selected will vary in geographic scope and scale, project maturity, and data-richness. Additional workshop participants will be invited, representing key audiences for our conservation plans.

What’s in it for you?

• Help ensure the evolving conservation approach takes into account your needs
• Get feedback from other project teams and managers on your project
• Get hands-on practice applying innovative planning tools and methods to your projects
• Identify specific analyses you could use to take your project to the next level

Additional details

• Participants will be limited to 1-2 staff per project, preferably including project director/strategy lead.
• Meeting costs, lodging and meals are provided for attendees.  Travel is not included; however, grants are available. Amounts to be determined based on applicant need. (Contact Lynne Eder)
• Pre-workshop preparation will be minimal – bring what you already know and prepare to work hard.
• The workshop organizing committee will choose the final group of participants based on the entire pool of applications and will comprise a set that complements and enhances one another.

Sponsored by the Planning Evolution Team.

To apply, please submit your responses to the following questions to Kirsten Evans  no later than February 7^th.  Please limit your responses to a single page.

1. Project or Strategy Name: ConPro record number (if any):
2. Please provide a short description of the project: purpose, geographic scope and scale, and location (200 word maximum),
3. How long has the project been operating?
4. Do you have an existing conservation plan or business plan, and if so, when was it completed?
5. What is TNC’s  approximate annual budget for the project?
6. Names of proposed workshop participants and their roles in the project?