This fact sheet introduces Conservation Without Conflict as both an approach and a coalition focused on conserving at-risk and listed species while keeping working lands working. It frames land and water as essential to food production, energy, housing, recreation, wildlife habitat, national security, human health, and economic activity, while acknowledging that these needs can sometimes come into conflict. Conservation Without Conflict is presented as a way to recognize those interdependencies and bring diverse stakeholders together around collaborative solutions that benefit wildlife, landowners, communities, and the broader public.
The document’s purpose statement emphasizes that regulatory tools have played an important role in conserving fish and wildlife, but that regulation alone can create adversarial tension and is often insufficient to achieve conservation at the scale needed. Instead, the fact sheet makes the case for voluntary collaboration, effective incentives, regulatory predictability, and sound science as the foundation for recovering listed species and preventing at-risk species from needing Endangered Species Act protections. Examples including the sicklefin redhorse and San Fernando Valley spineflower illustrate how collaborative agreements can protect species and habitat while supporting working landscapes and other landowner objectives.
