landscape conservation joint task force

Association of Fish & Wildlife Agency /U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Advancing State-Federal Collaboration for Landscape-Scale Conservation

Collaborating at landscape scales is a strategic approach to addressing the complex, interconnected needs of fish, wildlife, and their habitats across broad geographic areas. Because ecological systems and species ranges transcend political and jurisdictional boundaries, effective conservation requires coordinated, collaborative efforts at large scales.

The Landscape Conservation Joint Task Force (JTF) was established to enhance coordination and collaboration between state and federal leadership, amplifying the impact of regional partnerships. The JTF supports voluntary, science-driven conservation strategies that respect regional autonomy while aligning efforts to meet shared national priorities. By fostering collaboration, sharing knowledge, and addressing barriers to cross-boundary conservation, the JTF helps ensure healthy ecosystems and resilient wildlife populations across diverse landscapes.

What is the Landscape Conservation Joint Task Force (JTF)?

The Landscape Conservation Joint Task Force (JTF) is a peer-to-peer collaborative body established in December 2021 by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). It serves as a national forum to explore, coordinate, and enhance voluntary landscape-scale conservation efforts across jurisdictions.

Key Features:

  • Exploratory and Advisory: Builds trust and strengthens relationships between state agencies and federal partners.
  • Peer-to-Peer Collaboration: Respects differing authorities while fostering durable partnerships.
  • Barrier Removal: Addresses policy and operational obstacles impeding multi-jurisdictional conservation.
  • Unification, Not Uniformity: Supports alignment of regional and national efforts while preserving partner autonomy.

The JTF unifies efforts through voluntary alignment rather than uniformity — enhancing strategic impact while respecting partner flexibility.


Membership

The JTF comprises 10 voting members — five from the AFWA Executive Committee (including representatives from each regional association) and five from FWS senior leadership. It is co-chaired by the AFWA President and the FWS Director or Acting Director. Ex-officio members include the AFWA Executive Director and a Canadian representative.

Actions Leading to the JTF

  1. Establish shared science priorities,
  2. Strengthen regional science-based partnerships, and
  3. Use State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs) as a framework for collaboration.
  • SWAP and Landscape Conservation Work Group Report
    Led by Sara Parker Pauley and Deb Rocque, this report focused on a framework for enhancing range-wide conservation of Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) via SWAPs, linking state and regional priorities to national landscape conservation goals.

JTF Charter

The Landscape Conservation Joint Task Force Charter, adopted in December 2021, lays out how AFWA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are working together to better coordinate landscape-scale conservation. It highlights the value of the peer-to-peer relationship between states and the Service and focuses on breaking down barriers, aligning priorities, and supporting collaborative leadership. The Charter builds on shared frameworks like the SWAP and Landscape Conservation Report and provides a structure for the JTF to help shape consistent regional approaches while encouraging broader engagement with Tribes, landowners, and other partners to support fish and wildlife across connected landscapes.

Why Does the JTF’s Work Matter?

Wildlife species and ecosystems span multiple state and federal jurisdictions. Effective conservation requires cross-boundary, landscape-scale collaboration. The JTF advances conservation that is:

  • Strategically Aligned: Connecting regional priorities with national initiatives, funding, and science.
  • Efficient and Coordinated: Sharing resources and information to avoid duplication and maximize impact.
  • Inclusive and Collaborative: Engaging states, federal agencies, tribes, NGOs, private landowners, and other partners.

JTF Roles and Responsibilities: Unifying, Not Uniform

  • Facilitate collaboration and remove barriers to cross-jurisdictional conservation.
  • Promote consistent regional approaches where beneficial, preserving partner autonomy and flexibility.
  • Support integration of SWAPs and landscape conservation design tools for effective planning.
  • Enhance engagement with partners including USDA NRCS and Department of Defense programs.
  • Bridge “cloud to ground and ground to cloud” by connecting national priorities and funding with local implementation.

Key Accomplishments

  • Strengthened peer-to-peer collaboration networks between states and federal agencies.
  • Advanced the “feathering the edges” concept linking conservation science across boundaries.
  • Launched pilot projects aligning business plans with SWAPs, focusing on Longleaf Forests and Rivers.
  • Secured funding for dedicated coordinators to support sustained efforts.
  • Provided leadership in identifying strategic cross-regional conservation priorities.

Regional Associations and USFWS Science Applications: Collaborative Partnership Driving Landscape Conservation for Fish and Wildlife

The Landscape Conservation Joint Task Force (JTF) supports and connects four Regional Associations of Fish and Wildlife Agencies—essential collaborative hubs for fish and wildlife conservation—and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Science Applications program. Together, these partners provide the leadership, technical capacity, coordination, and science tools necessary to address landscape-scale conservation challenges effectively.

These Regional Associations unite states and partners within their regions, fostering collaboration to implement science-based conservation that benefits fish, wildlife, and communities. At the same time, the USFWS Science Applications program delivers critical capacity in science, data management, and technical assistance, ensuring that federal resources align with state priorities and that conservation efforts are informed by cutting-edge science.

By combining the Regional Associations’ governance and partnership networks with Science Applications’ technical expertise and resources, this partnership empowers states to lead voluntary, landscape-scale conservation strategies that cross jurisdictional boundaries, reduce regulatory risk, and maximize impact.

Regional Associations and USFWS Science Applications: Collaborative Partnership Driving Landscape Conservation for Fish and Wildlife

The Landscape Conservation Joint Task Force (JTF) supports and connects four Regional Associations of Fish and Wildlife Agencies—essential collaborative hubs for fish and wildlife conservation—and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Science Applications program. Together, these partners provide the leadership, technical capacity, coordination, and science tools necessary to address landscape-scale conservation challenges effectively.

These Regional Associations unite states and partners within their regions, fostering collaboration to implement science-based conservation that benefits fish, wildlife, and communities. At the same time, the USFWS Science Applications program delivers critical capacity in science, data management, and technical assistance, ensuring that federal resources align with state priorities and that conservation efforts are informed by cutting-edge science.

By combining the Regional Associations’ governance and partnership networks with Science Applications’ technical expertise and resources, this partnership empowers states to lead voluntary, landscape-scale conservation strategies that cross jurisdictional boundaries, reduce regulatory risk, and maximize impact.

REGIONAL ASSOCIATION

OVERVIEW

KEY PARTNERSHIPS & INITIATIVES

NEAFWA (Northeast)

Connects Northeastern states to coordinate fish and wildlife conservation efforts.

Northeast Landscape Wildlife Conservation Committee: Guides cross-jurisdictional conservation planning focused on key corridors like the Atlantic Coast and Appalachian regions.

Additional initiatives focus on multi-state project funding and administrative barrier removal.

Supports strategic partnerships that secure funding and empower partners with conservation tools.

SEAFWA (Southeast)

Facilitates collaborative conservation across Southeastern states.
  • Tracks regional conservation metrics and fosters ecosystem health improvements.
  • Engages 2,500+ stakeholders to ensure plans reflect regional and local priorities.


MAFWA (Midwest)

Supports sustainable conservation and habitat management across Midwestern states.
  • Has directed millions in funding toward habitat restoration and protection.
  • Works across jurisdictional edges to increase conservation impact and efficiency.


WAFWA (West)

Connects western states and provinces for cooperative fish and wildlife management.
  • WAFWA Regional Initiatives: Advancing Collaborative, Proactive, Science-Based
  • Fish and Wildlife Conservation and Management Across the West.
  • Coordinates regional efforts to conserve big game migration corridors and other critical movement pathways through shared data, mapping, and collaboration with federal, tribal, and private partners.
  • Focus on landscape-level restoration and strategic investment in sagebrush ecosystems and native trout conservation, leveraging partnerships and data-driven strategies to guide action.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Science Applications

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Science Applications program is a non-regulatory partner that plays a vital role in state-federal collaboration. It provides essential scientific and technical capacity—including geospatial tools, data systems, and coordination—to help states achieve their conservation goals efficiently and strategically.

By aligning federal resources with state priorities, Science Applications strengthens voluntary conservation efforts and supports proactive measures to conserve fish and wildlife biodiversity. This includes restoring habitats for Species of Greatest Conservation Need (e.g., stream reconnection for native trout), managing big game migration corridors, supporting working lands, and enhancing military readiness. The result is a more effective, science-based approach that delivers lasting benefits to ecosystems, economies, and communities.

Science Applications Fact Sheet


Supporting State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs)

State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs) are the cornerstone of proactive fish and wildlife conservation in the United States, identifying over 12,000 Species of Greatest Conservation Need and outlining strategies to conserve their habitats. As biodiversity loss accelerates and conservation challenges span political boundaries, it is increasingly clear that isolated efforts are insufficient. A landscape-scale approach—guided by SWAPs—enables conservation at ecologically meaningful scales and across jurisdictions. By incorporating regional priorities, shared science, and collaborative governance, SWAPs offer a unifying framework to advance cross-boundary conservation, improve ecological resilience, and enhance the relevance and efficiency of conservation investments¹.

The Landscape Conservation Joint Task Force (JTF), co-led by AFWA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, exists to foster this kind of coordinated, state-led collaboration. The JTF plays a vital role in aligning federal and state efforts with the vision of enhanced landscape conservation outlined in the SWAP framework. A timely example is the emerging collaboration with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), which is seeking to retool its business plans to better reflect habitat connectivity, ecological function, and state-led priorities identified in SWAPs. This convergence—between state-identified needs, regional blueprints, and federal and philanthropic investment—demonstrates the promise of a more unified, yet voluntary, approach to conserving fish and wildlife biodiversity at scale.

¹ Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Leading At-Risk Fish and Wildlife Conservation: A Framework to Enhance Landscape-Scale and Cross-Boundary Conservation through Coordinated State Wildlife Action Plans. September 2021. Available at: https://www.fishwildlife.org/application/files/6716/3289/4071/SWAPLandscapeConservationReport_2021-FINAL.pdf

Current members include:

Co-Chairs:

  • Judy Camuso, Commissioner, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and AFWA President
  • Brian Nesvik, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Director

State Members:

  • Nicole Angeli, Director, Virgin Islands Division of Fish & Wildlife
  • Alan Jenne, Director, Nevada Department of Wildlife
  • Tim McCoy, Director, Nebraska Game and Parks
  • Mark Tisa, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife

USFWS Members:

  • Elsa Haubold, Assistant Director, Science Applications
  • Will Meeks, Regional Director, Midwest Region
  • Michael Oetker, Regional Director, Southeast Region
  • Paul Souza, Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region

Ex-Officio Members:

  • Olaf Jensen, Environment and Climate Change Canada
  • Ron Regan, Executive Director, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Staff Support:

  • Gordon Myers, AFWA
  • Mark Humpert, AFWA
  • Danielle Ross-Winslow, USFWS

Learn More and Connect

Contact: Gordon Myers, Landscape Conservation Coordinator
Email: gmyers@fishwildlife.org