In 2013, OSI launched the Resilient Landscapes Initiative, capitalized by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, to translate groundbreaking climate science and support a new approach to land protection in the face of climate change. By its completion in 2020, the Resilient Landscapes Initiative had awarded $11 million to support 59 projects that protected 50,000 acres.
Beyond the acreage data, the Initiative promoted a shift in conservation outcomes and planning — from a focus on natural communities and species to the protection of enduring features on the landscape, i.e., those places most likely to harbor plants and animals in a warming world.
To achieve its goals, OSI provided capital and planning grants, conducted education and training efforts, and developed and distributed guidance materials to land trusts and state agencies.
View OSI's retrospective on the Resilient Landscapes Initiative report below; or, read it online as interactive pages.