CENTRAL ARIZONA CONSERVATION ALLIANCE

Overview

Convened by Desert Botanical Garden, the Central Arizona Conservation Alliance (CAZCA) aligns and unifies the efforts of more than sixty partner and collaborating organizations to conserve, restore, and raise awareness for open space in Central Arizona.

Through community engagement, collaboration, and strategic regional coordination, CAZCA works to ensure a sustainable regional open space system that supports healthy ecosystems and healthy communities.

Through the collaborative development of the Regional Open Space Strategy for Maricopa County, CAZCA is working to address critical open space challenges across Maricopa County. Together, we aim to realize these four essential goals:

Protect & Connect: Ensure a robust network of natural areas to sustain habitat, provide opportunity for recreation, support clean air and water resources, and improve resilience to climate change.

Sustain & Restore:  Identify and engage best practices in land management and restoration to conserve native biodiversity, positive user experiences, and socio-economic benefits connected with the Sonoran Desert.

Love & Support:  Build champions and the constituency of support and action for Sonoran Desert conservation by raising awareness and connecting people with nature.

Coordinate & Elevate: Build upon the CAZCA foundation to ensure and amplify regional open space management and conservation successes.

This Greenprint for Maricopa County will allow decision-makers, practitioners, researchers, and organizations whose work includes conservation, environmental education, public health, economic development, and/or recreation/tourism to visualize the region’s most powerful opportunities for 1) ensuring habitat integrity and 2) protecting water resources.

Partners