Landscapes for Change
A multi-year partnership campaign to transform our communities with native plants.
Credit Nancy Buck.
From carbon to oxygen, it’s no accident that a human being is made up of the same elements that comprise our natural world. We in fact are nature, ecosystems unto ourselves who belong to the greater ecosystems that surround us. We need the natural world, and, more than ever, it needs us.
The Landscapes for Change campaign envisions a future where people and nature can thrive in the places we live, work, and play. With 94% of California’s population living in urban areas, we have an opportunity to reimagine our urban landscapes by dramatically scaling up the use of native plants. In so doing, we not only support the diversity of wildlife that depend on native plants for survival, we restore our own connection to nature.
“We found overwhelming evidence that native plants support higher faunal abundance and diversity than non-native plants in urban landscapes.”
– Elena S. Tartaglia and Myla F.J. Aronson in a 2024 global review of 165 studies comparing native vs. non-native plants in urban horticulture.
Transformation requires change. Today, widespread native plant adoption is slow due to challenges of supply and demand coupled with persistent confusion and misperceptions about native plants. But we can change this!
Like electric vehicles, the widespread adoption of native plants won’t happen on its own. It requires public policy to propel industry. That policy must be driven by collaboration, consensus, and science, and supported by marketing and education.
Transformation
Community science and academic research demonstrate the importance of native plants for biodiversity in the built environment.
Since launching in spring 2026, nearly 800 community scientists have contributed 14,700 observations of 1,200 species. Learn more and get involved!
Working together, we create understanding, trust, and mutually beneficial solutions for native plant adoption.
Hear from our partners across the state on the opportunity and inspiration driving our movement.
Aligned partners advance well-vetted, solution-oriented policy to advance change at scale.
Learn about our 2027 policy effort and how you can help support biodiversity and native plant adoption where you live.
Marketing, stories, and real-life exposure to native plants helps show what’s possible in our own communities.
How a group of neighborhood volunteers, experts, and local officials in Los Angeles joined forces to create a thriving native plant habitat at Elephant Hill Open Space.
Accessible training and online resources help set people up for success, from home gardeners to industry professionals.
Try out CNPS’s new interactive tool to get a personalized planting list for pollinators in your area.
More than 2.5 million people visited CNPS’s native gardening website last year, now available in both English and Spanish.
Sign up today to get involved in community science and civic action that fosters biodiversity where you live.
Find out how you can help build a groundswell of support for native plants, one community at a time.
Learn why growing native plants is essential to our food web, and how specifically you can support the pollinators near you.
Getting involved in your local CNPS chapter connects you immediately to plant sales, garden tours, and ways to make a difference.
CNPS’s popular webinar series connects thousands a year to native plant experts and practical info. See past episodes and what’s coming up.
Project Now
We are powerful, together.
Credit Nancy Buck.