Lessons Learned for Military-Based Partnerships for Landscape-Scale Conservation: A Case Study of the North Carolina Sentinel Landscapes Partnership

Landscape-scale conservation has become a popular approach for addressing complex land and water issues. Achieving this level of conservation requires regional collaboration that evokes a variety of approaches tailored to fit the scope and nature of the particular issues. In many states, military training grounds are a part of the rural landscape, resulting in significant interest from the military services in the maintenance and enhancement of land uses that are compatible with their operations. Many programs and initiatives are managing this issue utilizing a landscape-scale approach based on a recognition of the interconnectedness of interests. To date, there has been limited research on military partnerships related to land conservation. In order to better understand how engaging stakeholders from various sectors impacts the initial stages of military-based partnerships for landscape-scale conservation, this study explores climate, processes, people, policies, and resources—five variables that shape cross-sector partnerships, an important theoretical framework for evaluating such collaborative partnerships.