February 20, 2001

Protecting Delaware’s Living Resources: Building Support for a Statewide Strategy

Co-sponsored by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Delaware Nature Society (DNS), and The Nature Conservancy’s Delaware Chapter (TNC), this symposium was designed to inform and solicit feedback from decision makers across the state — from governmental officials to legislators, land use planning groups, land trusts, agricultural and development representatives, environmental activists, and citizen groups — on the development and implementation of a statewide strategy for protecting biodiversity.

In 1999, DNREC, in collaboration with DNS and TNC, and with support from ELI, conducted a review of laws, policies, and institutions for conserving the state’s living resources. The final report, Protecting Delaware’s Natural Heritage: Tools for Biodiversity Conservation, was released in December 1999 and outlines a set of recommendations for using or modifying existing policies, programs, and laws to promote biodiversity conservation. These recommendations have since been reviewed and developed by the Biodiversity Implementation Strategy Workgroup (BISWG), a committee of key leaders in Delaware’s state and county governments and private sector. BISWG’s strategies to advance biodiversity protection and restoration in the state will be highlighted during this biodiversity symposium.