Klemens addresses group at Marist College

POUGHKEEPSIE - Biodiversity was the topic of a Tuesday night’s Hudson Valley Smart Growth Alliance conference, a topic gaining more and more notoriety given the link experts have made between economic development and environmental sustainability.

The concept of biodiversity refers to the relationship between nature and all of its habitats, including those that house not only human beings, but also animals and plant life, and experts in both the development and environmental fields are addressing the issue.

Keynote speaker Dr. Michael Klemens, the director of Conservation Science at Scenic Hudson, said there is an interface between smart growth, biodiversity, social justice and affordable housing.

“Traditionally the problem has been people have thought about things in their own islands, and their own professional isolation, and I think this conference will bring these people together to really think about things in an integrated way,” said Klemens.

Biodiversity Outreach Coordinator for the Estuary Program for the state Department of Environmental Conservation Laura Heady said there needs to be more of an inter-municipal focus on planning these days to address a larger picture.

“It’s really doing good comprehensive planning, good open space planning, and thinking about resource-based zoning instead of zoning that is really arbitrary boundaries, and start thinking about natural systems that don’t acknowledge political boundaries.”

Greene County Industrial Development Agency leader Rene VanSchaack agreed.

“About 2002 when we got involved in doing this stuff, we realized that you could either do low quality development and make little money or you could do high quality development and make the same amount of money, if not more, and by preserving character and quality of life.

The conference was held at Marist College in Poughkeepsie.