Press Release: SCBNA Develops New Definition of Conservation

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Press Release: SCB North America Develops New Definition of “Conservation” 🌱

https://scbnorthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/FINAL_SCBNA_PressRelease_DefinitionConservation.pdf

Building on our 2025 webinar series “A Conversation on State Wildlife Agencies,” SCBNA’s Policy Issues Working Group collaboratively developed a definition of conservation (approved by the SCBNA Board of Directors on January 22, 2026). The definition is intended to guide actions within SCB North America, the broader Society for Conservation Biology global community, and all those interested in the protection and recovery of nature.

Read more about the definition: https://scbnorthamerica.org/index.php/scbnas-definition-of-conservation/

Stay tuned for more at #NACCR2026! For further information or to share feedback on how you hope to apply the definition, please contact mail@scbnorthamerica.org.

Register! 6/24 Ethics Webinar: One Health & The Tree Kangaroo Conservation Project

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Join us for another session in our webinar series focused on One Health on Wednesday, June 24, from 2 to 3:30 PM CDT! 🌲🦘The Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program was founded at the Woodland Park Zoo (Seattle, WA, USA) in 1996.

Joining us to talk about the program and its ethical dimensions are the founder, Dr. Lisa Dabek of the Woodland Park Zoo, and physician and emeritus zoo board member Dr. Rob Liddell of the University of Washington’s Center for One Health Research.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Kg_Wv-EZRbSxRrm32oF9vA

SCBNA Statement Opposing the Proposed Restructuring of the U.S. Forest Service

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SCBNA opposes the proposed restructuring of the U.S. Forest Service. The Trump administration’s sweeping reorganization plan, which includes moving its headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City, Utah, replacing nine regional offices with 15 state-based offices, and shuttering research and development facilities in more than 30 states, raises serious concerns that warrant careful public scrutiny.

The problem is not necessarily the goal, but its execution. An abrupt reorganization, imposed without stable timelines and consultation with public, private, or tribal partners, sacrifices long-term stewardship capacity for short-term bureaucratic optics. Our forests, and those who care for them, deserve better planning rooted in science and a clear vision for the future.

See our full statement: https://scbnorthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/FINAL-SCBNA-Statement-Opposing-the-Proposed-Restructuring-of-the-US-Forest-Service.pdf

NACCR 2026 Field Trip Spotlight #2

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Join us at #NACCR2026 from July 12 to 16, 2026, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin! 🌱

Explore our 10 guided field trips! 🗺️

  1. Baraboo Hills: Aldo Leopold Foundation & International Crane Foundation
  2. Havenwoods State Forest
  3. Milwaukee River
  4. Urban Ecology Center
  5. Bird Conservation Tour of Milwaukee
  6. Horicon Marsh
  7. UW-Madison Arboretum and Dane County Waste & Renewables Tour
  8. Milwaukee Water Reclamation Facility
  9. Science in Action at the UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences
  10. Wehr Nature Center

Follow us over the next few weeks as we feature a variety of field trips, symposia, interactive sessions, plenaries, contributed sessions, forums, festivals, and socials! 🤩

Early bird registration for NACCR 2026 ends May 1: https://scbnorthamerica.org/index.php/naccr-2026-registration/

Learn more about each trip and register by Jun 1: https://scbnorthamerica.org/index.php/naccr-2026-field-trips/

4/29 Register! TNR Feedback Session Thematic Area #4

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Join us for the last Feedback Session for the Nature Record on Thematic Area #4! 💡

What can we (all of us) do?

Date: Wednesday, Apr 29, 2026

Time: 2 – 3:30 PM CDT

We will cover 2 chapters: 1) Opportunities for Nature and People & 2) Bright Spots in Nature

Panelist(s): Pat Sorrano (Michigan State University), Timon McPhearson (New York University)

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/9K62CAgcQQaBAFcHPi5F_A#/

Register! 4/15 TNR Thematic area #3 (PART 2) – Why does it matter? How do changes to nature manifest?

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Join us for the third feedback session of the Nature Record! 💡

Thematic area #3 (Part 1) – Why does it matter? How do changes to nature manifest?

Date: Wednesday, Apr 1, 2026

Time: 2 – 3:30 PM CDT

We will cover 3 chapters: Culture, Health & Well-Being, and Human-Nature Connections!

Panelist(s): Rachelle Gould (University of Vermont), Howard Frumkin (University of Washington), and Meena Balgopal (Colorado State University).

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/aQ8Q7NTjSvKGj1sZcRkrAA#/

Register! 4/8 SCBNA Policy/Ethics Webinar: One Health on-the-ground: success stories in mountain gorilla conservation

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Join us for the last session in a new webinar series co-hosted by the SCBNA Policy Committee and PAN Works and focused on One Health on Wednesday, Apr 8, from 10 to 11 AM CDT! 🌱

We will discuss the powerful connection between people, wildlife, and the environment. We will be joined by Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Founder and CEO of Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), an award-winning NGO and non-profit that protects endangered gorillas and other wildlife through One Health approaches.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/_fSaskhiRDGlUlpgMq9qtw#/

Register! 4/1 TNR Feedback Session Thematic Area #3

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Join us for the third feedback session of the Nature Record! 💡

Thematic area #3 (Part 1) – Why does it matter? How do changes to nature manifest?

Date: Wednesday, Apr 1, 2026

Time: 2 – 3:30 PM CDT

We will cover 3 chapters: Culture, Health & Well-Being, and Human-Nature Connections! Panelist(s): Rachelle Gould (University of Vermont), Howard Frumkin (University of Washington), and Meena Balgopal (Colorado State University). Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/aQ8Q7NTjSvKGj1sZcRkrAA#/

Register! 3/25 SCBNA Policy/Ethics Webinar: Historical and Practical Considerations for One Health Projects

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Join us for the second session in a new webinar series co-hosted by the SCBNA Policy Committee and PAN Works and focused on One Health! 🌺

Dr. Fred Koontz will lead the discussion on the characteristics and ethical values from different One Health approaches and the late 20th-century biodiversity conservation experience that should be considered when undertaking One Health projects.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/NvJlr_rSSCCJ3A49BWW9aw#/

Register! 3/11 One Health 101: basics of a One Health approach to conservation

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Join us for a new webinar series co-hosted by the SCBNA Policy Committee and PAN Works and focused on One Health! 🌏

Our first session will cover the basics of a one health approach to conservation on Wednesday, March 11, from 2 – 3 PM CDT. We will set the stage for considering how we might incorporate ethics more explicitly into conservation through the integration of One Health principles.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Z_e4WScgR7iV3KvxO1YvhA#/registration

Register! 3/4 TNR Thematic Area #1: How to Assess Nature

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The Nature Record Feedback Sessions start this week! 🎉

Thematic Area #1: How to assess nature Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2026 Time: 2 – 3:00 PM CST

🌿 describe the suite of frameworks and approaches used within the chapters of The Nature Record to assess the status and trends of US lands, waters, biodiversity, and wildlife, as well as the benefits they provide for the country’s economy, health, culture, security, and climate

🌿 draw on the history, effective practices, and applications of nature assessments in the US and around the world, and incorporate multiple dimensions of environmental equity and justice

🌿 identify opportunities for the US to advance national-scale assessments in the future

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/GOyeK0_xRMC3NUUnhaagvQ

Register for The Nature Record Feedback Sessions!

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SCBNA will co-host 5 feedback sessions (March to April 2026) to cover the four main thematic areas of The Nature Record assessment and key findings for each area.

🌿 Thematic area #1 – How to assess nature

🌿 Thematic area #2 – What is going on with/what is happening to nature?

🌿 Thematic area #3 (PART 1 & 2) – Why does it matter? How do changes to nature manifest?

🌿 Thematic area #4 – What can we (all of us) do? Feedback from attendees will help shape the draft version of the assessment scheduled for final publication in late 2026.

 

Find all links to REGISTER here: https://scbnorthamerica.org/index.php/the-nature-record-public-engagement-series/