The SPARCLE team is working to bring climate change and shifting human demands into land use planning. Our analyses deliver forward-looking land use options that support biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and climate-smart agriculture. Our work began with global assessments, and we’re now focused on higher-resolution mapping in Africa and Colombia.

Our team believes that land use planning for people and nature intersects, and we work to go beyond traditional approaches where conservation and development are dealt with in isolation. SPARCLE combines biodiversity data with projections of future demand for agriculture and renewable energy — two pressing drivers of land use change in developing landscapes.

This integrated approach helps identify where different land uses can coexist or compete, providing spatial guidance to governments, NGOs, and land managers on how to balance ecosystem protection with human development needs.

This project builds on a previous GEF-funded Conservation International initiative called Spatial Planning for Conservation in Response to Climate Change (SPARC). In SPARC, researchers modeled climate-driven species shifts for over 17,000 amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles. These models identified where protection is most critical—based on where species live today and where they’re expected to move.

2027 Goals

1. Conduct global analyses to identify areas where strategic land use planning for conservation, agriculture, and energy can support both human needs and biodiversity under climate change.

2. Co-produce regional analyses with on-the-ground experts and stakeholders.
   These analyses incorporate future projections of biodiversity, agriculture, and energy to identify opportunities and risks as natural habitats and human landscapes change. Planning for multiple sectors can help countries meet international commitments with sustainable conservation investments. Check out the example map below!