Welcome to ELI's Land & Biodiversity Program

The pace and pattern of land development in the United States often contribute to the high cost of public services, the decline of cities and older suburbs, and the rapid conversion of farmland and forest and range lands to inefficient and costly developed uses. At the same time, habitat loss is leading to impoverishment of the plant and wildlife base (the biodiversity) of the North American landscape, including extinctions and threats to as much as a third of our flora and fauna. Disturbances to the nation’s lands and waters provide opportunities for invasive exotic species to proliferate, in turn leading to economic and ecological losses. All of these adverse results are not only avoidable, but they can be prevented by well-considered policy responses that provide choices and protect livelihoods for people while safeguarding the environment on which we rely. Click the bullets to the right to view ELI’s three strategies.