The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and ASLA Fund Announce New Industry-wide Plan to Address Climate and Biodiversity Crises
The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and ASLA Fund have released a new plan to address the climate and biodiversity crises together. Landscape Architecture 2040: Climate & Biodiversity Action Plan charts a pathway for landscape architects to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions in their projects and operations, increase carbon sequestration, and protect and restore biodiversity in an equitable way by 2040. It is a significant update of ASLA’s first plan, which was released in 2022.
The new Climate & Biodiversity Action Plan was developed by a high-profile Task Force of five landscape architects and educators, chaired by Meg Calkins, FASLA, professor of landscape architecture and environmental planning at North Carolina State University.
- Meg Calkins, FASLA, Chair
- Diane Jones Allen, FASLA, Equity Lead
- Jennifer Dowdell, ASLA, Biodiversity Lead
- Mariana Ricker, ASLA, Climate Lead
- Andrew Wickham, ASLA, Advocacy Lead
The task force worked with a 34-member Advisory Group of climate, biodiversity, equity, and advocacy experts.
The plan outlines a bold vision. By 2040, all landscape architecture projects will simultaneously:
- Achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions and double carbon sequestration from business as usual.
- Protect, conserve, restore, enhance, and manage biodiversity.
- Provide significant economic benefits in the form of measurable ecosystem services, co-benefits, and livelihoods.
- Address climate and biodiversity injustices, amplify the power of communities, and increase the equitable distribution of climate and biodiversity investments.
“Our new plan represents a major shift. We know that the problems and solutions to the climate and biodiversity crises are intertwined. So, we have developed an ambitious plan for addressing both crises – through landscape architecture,” said ASLA President Kona Gray, FASLA, PLA. “This approach builds on decades of work by landscape architects on climate and biodiversity. The new plan unifies the nature-based planning and design strategies that best address both challenges at the same time. We also seek to ensure communities benefit from these solutions in an equitable way and see real economic gains.”
“Landscape architects can help communities undo the rapid loss of ecosystems and biodiversity. We can speed up our work to achieve global biodiversity goals – protecting and restoring at least 30 percent of terrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems by 2030 (30 x 30),” said ASLA CEO Torey Carter-Conneen, Hon. ASLA. “At the same time, we will continue to help communities reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, sequester more carbon, and address worsening climate impacts, like extreme heat, flooding, drought, sea level rise, wildfire, and air and water pollution.”
Landscape Architecture 2040: Climate & Biodiversity Action Plan is organized into two volumes – one for ASLA members, which include landscape architects and designers, educators and students, product manufacturers and material suppliers, and one for ASLA and ASLA Chapters.
Both volumes are organized around four key goals:
- Climate: Scale up climate positive approaches
- Biodiversity: Protect, conserve, restore, enhance and manage
- Equity: Amplify the power of people and communities
- Advocacy: Advance climate and biodiversity action through leadership and engagement
The new plan is designed to act as a resource and guide the climate and biodiversity work of landscape architecture firms and organizations of all sizes. It will also direct all ASLA climate and biodiversity programs and investments from 2026 to 2030. Collective goals and actions will be revisited and updated in 2030 and every five years until 2040 and beyond.
“Climate change and biodiversity loss are impacting the health, safety, and welfare of our communities. Landscape architects are the only professionals who are uniquely qualified to address climate mitigation, adaptation, and biodiversity in our work. We improve health outcomes, provide ecosystem services, and create strong economic outcomes,” said Meg Calkins, FASLA, Chair of the Climate & Biodiversity Action Plan Task Force.
Calkins will represent ASLA and highlight the vision and goals of the Climate & Biodiversity Action Plan at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP30 in Belém, Brazil. ASLA has been an official non-governmental organization observer of the COP process since 2022.