The value of cooperative extension for involving society in restoration and conservation

Stakeholder input for restoration and conservation efforts is critical for project success and societal buy-in. A lack of experience or training, however, might limit the ability of managers to develop the partnerships needed for effective integration of stakeholders in project design and deployment. Cooperative extension (CE), a boundary-spanning organization associated with U.S. land-grant institutions, can help address this limitation because it has a long history of success with identifying, reaching out to, and connecting stakeholders in management projects. Organizations both within and external to the United States can enhance stakeholder contributions in restoration and conservation by leveraging expertise in CE. This can occur both by learning from and partnering with CE.