Resilient Landscapes is an interdisciplinary team of ecologists, physical scientists, GIS specialists, data scientists, and landscape architects. We develop tools, analyses, and guidance to design ecologically-resilient communities and landscapes. Our work supports the implementation of innovative long-range visions throughout the San Francisco Bay and Delta region, with collaborations nationally and internationally.

The Resilient Landscape Program supports numerous government, NGO, and private-sector leaders to enhance the health and resilience of urban, agricultural, and wildland landscapes. Our pioneering historical ecology research established an ecological foundation for large landscape restoration efforts in watersheds throughout California, prompting paradigm shifts in management. In the Bay, SFEI staff provided science leadership to the California Coastal Conservancy’s 2015 Baylands Goals—a blueprint to accelerate the restoration of tidal marsh in San Francisco Bay toward a goal of 100,000 acres. In the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, our landmark studies have supported a partnership between state agencies and major water users by creating science-based options and a vision to restore up to 30,000 acres of Delta wetlands habitat. In collaboration with Google’s Ecology Program and leading urban ecologists, SFEI created Making Nature’s City, a new framework for integrated urban greening.

Learn more about the program's structure, activities, people, and publications.