Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Pledges $437,000 to Defenders of Wildlife for Biodiversity, Land-Use Work

(04/06/2001) - Washington, DC -- Defenders of Wildlife today announced receipt of a major grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to better integrate ecological knowledge into land-use planning. The grant to Defenders of Wildlife totals $437,430 over three years, and is part of a larger $4.25 million initiative by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation that brings the efforts of Defenders and three other organizations to bear on this issue.

"Cities and states across the country are struggling to do a better job of directing development, but they often lack the types of information and planning tools they need to really protect the environment and biodiversity. The information and planning tools Defenders and its partners develop through this grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation will fill an urgent need," said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife.

Despite record sums approved by voters for open-space protection, these programs do not always address biodiversity through local and regional land-use planning. Environmental advocates argue that incorporating habitat and biological information into land-use decisions will guide land acquisition and open space designations to areas that are critical for biodiversity, while steering development toward less sensitive areas.

"We hope to help bridge the gap between ecology and land-use planning," said Joan Spero, president of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. "As development encroaches on previously remote areas, it is more important than ever to integrate ecological knowledge into how communities plan for future settlement. These grants will identify barriers to this integration and support promising approaches."

Defenders of Wildlife will use funds from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to provide information on barriers to and promising approaches for integrating ecological knowledge and land-use planning. Defenders will produce a series of case studies, reports and white papers and expand its web site to include information on large-scale conservation strategies and tools for their implementation.

Island Press, Environmental Law Institute, and Defenders of Wildlife each received grants that together total $2.2 million over three years to conduct coordinated research and information dissemination on biodiversity and land-use issues. The Association for Biodiversity Information received $2.2 million over three years to develop state- of-the-art software tools that integrate biodiversity information and land use planning.

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Contact(s):

Cat Lazaroff, (202) 772-3270