James Dobbin

James Dobbin is a pioneer and global leader in strategic planning for sustainable and resilient development of land, coastal, and ocean environments. Propelled by visionary research during his time at Harvard in the 1970s, he established one of the first firms in the world of its kind. He has since led projects in over 106 countries. He is sought out when diverse, sustainable, and resilient outcomes are a priority and when fresh thinking is a prerequisite. He is president and CEO of Dobbin International, based in Richmond, Virginia, USA, and Collingwood, Ontario, Canada.

James has led projects with themes such as conservation, protected areas, coastal zone management, ocean planning, tourism and ecotourism, climate-smart agriculture, and integrated, multisector regional development planning. The geographic range of his work has covered large regions in Canada, the United States, the Caribbean region, Central and South America, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. His clients have included government, private sector groups (e.g., agriculture, forestry, tourism, infrastructure, mining, oil and gas), international financial entities (The World Bank, International Finance Corporation [IFC]), bilateral and United Nations organizations, research institutions, and nongovernmental organizations.

He uses the principles of landscape architecture, regional planning, spatial planning, and geodesign, and applies scientific, economic, and engineering methodologies and models to address global and local issues. James enjoys collaborating with the people most affected by decision-making (stakeholders and rights holders) and working as part of interdisciplinary planning teams to develop cutting-edge solutions for today’s climate, biodiversity loss, and socioeconomic issues. He finds the single most important ingredient for project success is physically being there—in the air, on and under the water, and on the land—to truly understand the interrelated issues, opportunities, and constraints.

James holds a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture and regional planning from the University of Toronto and a master’s degree in landscape architecture and regional planning from Harvard University. He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects, and the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects and is a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s World Commission on Protected Areas.