Bozeman Magazine

In this groundbreaking work, landscape ecologist Charles Curtin argues for a paradigm-changing, science-based approach to managing large landscapes and open spaces. We must return to “first principles,” he argues, building innovative conservation from the ground up based on solid theory and practical experience. Using this place-based perspective, we can begin to build the trust and social capital essential for sustaining programs long enough and at scales large enough for complex, multifaceted challenges. Curtin walks readers through such foundational science concepts as thermodynamics, ecology, sociology, and resilience theory, applying them to real-world examples from years he has spent designing large-scale, place-based collaborative research programs in the United States and around the world.

Charles G. Curtin is a Consulting Landscape Ecologist at the Center for Large Landscape Conservation in Bozeman, and senior fellow for the Center for Natural Resources and Environmental Policy on the University of Montana in Missoula where his research is focused on community-based conservation and restoration of rangeland ecosystems.