Forging a Sustainable Southwest

The Power of Collaborative Conservation

By Stephen E. Strom

The University of Arizona Press

Nature has presented us with a gift of incalculable value: astounding diversity of plant and animal life and interwoven biological and physical systems of intricate complexity and beauty. We are faced today with an existential environmental and moral challenge: can we find common purpose in protecting and cherishing these masterpieces and in restoring a sense of shared responsibility for stewarding our endowment?

Forging a Sustainable Southwest introduces readers to four conservation efforts that provide insight into how diverse groups of citizens have worked collaboratively to develop visions for land use that harmonized sometimes conflicting ecological, economic, cultural, and community needs. Through the voices of more than seventy individuals involved in these efforts, we learn how they’ve developed plans for protecting, restoring, and stewarding lands sustainably; the management and funding tools they’ve used; and their perceptions of the challenges that remain and how to meet them.

This book details efforts to craft the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, establish Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, protect Cienega Ranch, and create the Malpai Borderlands Group. It will appeal to anyone interested in grassroots efforts to protect the vital ecosystems of the western United States.

These inspiring stories of citizens and groups working together demonstrate a path for the future built day-by-day: breaking bread at potlucks, holding informal front-porch discussions, and later finding common purpose in community-wide meetings. Might their efforts reveal a path to rebuilding our democratic systems from the ground up?

Reviews
Author

This is a remarkable work that will become an essential reference source in land management issues in Arizona and throughout the West.’—Bruce Babbitt, Governor of Arizona (1978–1987) and Secretary of the Interior (1993–2001)

‘Strom has taken a very complex series of issues and addressed them in a unique manner. Not only has he carefully explained the importance of landscape-scale efforts and how very different individuals have worked together to attempt to address these complex issues, he has also skillfully presented present-day landscapes and circumstances along with the impacts of geologic time frames. Strom shows us how the portion of the earth we inherit today has been greatly impacted by geologic events of the distant past. This is an interesting and fresh approach that takes us on a journey, making us conscious of both the importance and the urgency of landscape-scale conservation efforts and how individuals can interact to bring about important change. A must-have for your conservation library.’—D. Dean Bibles, BLM state director, Arizona and Oregon/Washington

‘From the overview of the multiregional planning area to the descriptions of the overall process and stakeholder efforts, the reader gets a sense of the vision, skill, and serendipity required to put these large planning efforts in motion. I was reminded many times of the remarkable individuals who made seemingly impossible advances in the face of sweeping adversity. Particularly impressive is the author’s clear portrayal of the issues we face in the future: climate change impacting land conservation, land management and restoration, and economic vitality.’—Diana Freshwater, president and founding director of Arizona Land and Water Trust

‘With cauldron-like weather blistering the planet at this most perilous moment in human history, new land use and habitat repair efforts have begun. Strom’s much-needed book surveys four landscape-scale adaptation and restoration projects, providing us with templates to get on board. Although it’s unpleasant wading through the trail of damage, this is a hopeful must-read.’—A. Thomas Cole, author of Restoring the Pitchfork Ranch: How Healing a Southwest Oasis Holds Promise for Our Endangered Land

Stephen E. Strom has published eleven books in which his landscape photography complements poems and essays that speak to current cultural or environmental issues. His photography has been exhibited widely throughout the United States.

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