Land Use and Biodiversity in an Ag State: Policies and Programs for Habitat and Species Conservation in Iowa
Panel Event
HELI welcomed panelists to discuss habitat and species conservation on Midwest agricultural lands. Panelists discussed the 30 by 30 Initiative, existing laws, current conservation programs, as well as legal and policy tools available for increasing habitat and protecting biodiversity on privately owned agricultural land across the state.
This event took place on Wednesday, October 4, 2023 from 12:45 pm to 1:45 pm CST in room 225 of the Boyd Law Building (BLB) at the University of Iowa College of Iowa and virtually via Zoom.
For the full event logistics and details, visit this page. That link is here: https://heli.law.uiowa.edu/events/land-use-and-biodiversity-ag-state-policies-and-programs-habitat-and-species-conservation-0
If you registered for the virtual webinar option, here is the link: https://uiowa.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-dVmqP76RceA1yo-V5IIGg. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
This event was in person, with the option of watching a livestream via Zoom.
This event has been APPROVED by the ISBA for a continuing legal education (CLE) credit of 1 hour.
At A Glance
90
Total Attendees
150
Total people registered
7
Different University of Iowa colleges represented in attendance
Welcoming Remarks and Introductions
Welcoming remarks and introductions were given by Shannon Roesler at 12:45 pm in Room 225 in the Boyd Law Building.
The Panelists
Schedule
Registration table opens in the Lobby of Boyd Law Building
12:15 pmLunch is available for all registered attendees
12:30 pmProgram begins with Welcoming Remarks and Introductions by Shannon Roesler
12:45 pmProgram ends
1:45 pm
Resources
For additional reading on the themes of this discussion - including biodiversity, the 30 by 30 and the America the Beautiful initiative, easements, the Farm Bill and more - please explore the following resources cultivated by the planning team.
- Damian Carrington, What is Biodiversity and Why is It Important to Us?, The Guardian, March 12, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/12/what-is-biodiversity-and-why-does-it-matter-to-us#:~:text=It%20is%20the%20variety%20of,it%20is%20the%20most%20vital
- UN Report: Nature’s Dangerous Decline “Unprecedented”; Species Extinction Rates “Accelerating”, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2019/05/nature-decline-unprecedented-report/
- FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Celebrates Expansion of Locally-Led Conservation Efforts in First Year of “America the Beautiful” Initiative, The White House: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/12/20/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-celebrates-expansion-of-locally-led-conservation-efforts-in-first-year-of-america-the-beautiful-initiative/
- Jamie Pleune, Creating a Transparent Methodology for Measuring Success Within a Continuum of Conservation for the America the Beautiful Initiative, Geo. Wash. J. Energy & Envtl. L. (Nov. 14, 2022), https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4276939
- Megan E. Jenkins and Harrison Naftel, Making Private Lands Count Toward Conservation: Policy Improvements Toward 30 by 30, The Center for Growth and Opportunity at Utah State University (Mar. 30, 2022), https://www.thecgo.org/research/making-private-lands-count-for-conservation/
- Agriculture’s Role in 30 by 30, American Farmland Trust, https://farmland.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AFT_-_Agricultures_Role_in_30x30_-_4-5-2021.pdf
- Conservation Easements, Iowa Landowner Options: http://www.iowalandoptions.org/protection-options/private-ownership-options/conservation-easement/
- Farm Bill Conservation Programs:
- Farm Service Agency, https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/conservation-programs/index
- Natural Resources Conservation Service, https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/farmbill
- For information about the Panelists’ professional organizations’ websites, see here:
- Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation: https://www.inhf.org/
- Center for Rural Affairs: https://www.cfra.org/
- USDA Farm Service Agency Iowa Office: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/state-offices/Iowa/index