Mission - Virginia Working Landscapes

Virginia Working Landscapes (VWL) is a program of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) that promotes the conservation of native biodiversity and sustainable land-use through research, education and community engagement. We partner with a network of NGOs, agencies, regional landowners and citizen scientists. Our goals are to:

Create a community network to promote dissemination of information from neighbor to neighbor.
Network landowners with state and federal agencies that can provide them with specific technical and financial assistance.
Establish and highlight demonstration sites on working farms that showcase best practices for different land uses, agricultural production, and biodiversity management.
Advance the science of land management and develop best practices relevant both to working farmers and conservationists.