Managing Ecosystems

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Managing Ecosystems
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Wolves were killed livestock replaced them-
keystone predator controlled bison, elk, deer
populations-hunters, ranchers miners
protested reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone-
both positive negative effects from wolves in
the park
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Current extinction rate is 100 10,000 times
greater than before humans
Destroyed in USA95 forests98 tallgrass
prairie99 CA grassland85 redwoods
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Importance of Biodiversity

• Intrinsic (Existence) Value
• They are important because they exist (regardless
  of use to humans)
• Instrumental Value
• Use values
• Nonuse values
• Existence value knowing it exists
• Aesthetic its pretty
• Bequest protect for the future

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60
EUROPE
NORTH AMERICA
ASIA
30N
Tropic of Cancer
Atlantic Ocean
AFRICA
Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
150
90
60E
0
30W
90
120
150
0
SOUTH AMERICA
Indian Ocean
Tropic of Capricorn
AUSTRALIA
30S
Antarctic Circle
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ANTARCTICA
Critical and endangered
Threatened
Stable or intact
Projected Status of Biodiversity 19982018
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Ways to preserve or restore ecosystems
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Conservation biology

• Emergency response to slow down the damage
• Identify hot spots
• Species-rich
• Endangered animals
• Based on Aldo Leopolds principles
• Something is right when it tends to maintain the
  earths life support systems for us other
  species.

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Public Lands

• US government manages 35 of the land in the USA
  (it belongs to the people)

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Public Lands

• National Forest Service
• (US Forest Service)
• Allows logging, mining, grazing, hunting, fishing
• Conservation of soil, watershed wildlife
• National Resource Lands (BLM)
• Mostly mining, oil gas extraction grazing

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Public Lands

• National Wildlife Refuges
• (USFWS)
• Protect habitats breeding areas to regulate
  hunted species
• Open to many activities
• National Park System
• (National Park Service)
• Parks out west, battlefields, memorials, historic
  sights more
• Only camping, hiking, fishing boating in the
  parks

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Public Lands

• National Wilderness Preservation System
• 660 areas
• Most protected lands (no roads)
• Inside of other types of public lands

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National parks and preserves
National forests
(and Xs) National wildlife refuges
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National parks and preserves
National forests
(and Xs) National wildlife refuges
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Public Lands

• Who gets access to mineral ecological wealth on
  protected lands?
• Paying subsidies to developers
• Should miners pay royalties?
• Should they pay to restore land?

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Forest Management

• Old-growth, second-growth tree plantations
• Which type of management is typical in tree
  farms?
• Even-aged fast growing, single species
• What are advantages of uneven-aged management?
• Diversity, long-term sustainability, multiple use
  forest

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Rotation in a tree plantation
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15
10
30
Years of growth
5
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Forest Management

• How does the building of a road affect a forest?
• Erosion, soil loss, habitat fragmentation,
  exposure to nonnative pests,
• access for people, no longer qualify as
  wilderness in USA

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Forest Management

• What are pros cons of
• Selective cutting
• Diversity, regeneration, erosion resistant,
  multiple use
• Affects surrounding trees, less canopywarmer To,
  drier, more erosion
• Shelterwood cutting
• Removes mature trees in stages
• Seed-tree cutting
• Few trees are left regeneration
• Clear-cutting
• All trees removed
• Strip cutting
• Regenerates from nearby trees, multiple use

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Building a road
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Selective Cutting
Shelterwood Cutting
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Seed-Tree Cutting
Clear-Cutting
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Uncut
Cut
Cut
Cut
Uncut
1 year ago
35 years ago
610 years ago
Strip Cutting
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Trade-Offs
Clear-Cutting Forests
Advantages
Disadvantages
Higher timber yields Maximum economic return in
shortest time Can reforest with genetically
improved fast-growing trees Short time to
establish new stand of trees Needs less skill
and planning Best way to harvest
tree plantations Good for tree species needing
full or moderate sunlight for growth
Reduces biodiversity Disrupts ecosystem
processes Destroys and fragments some wildlife
habitats Leaves moderate to large
openings Increases soil erosion Increases
sediment water pollution and flooding when done
on steep slopes Eliminates most recreational
value for several decades
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Deforestation

• Where are ¾ of the remaining old growth forests?
• Russia, Canada, Brazil, Indonesia, Papua New
  Guinea
• Many of these forests are at risk for logging,
  what protects forests the most?
• Inaccessibility

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• What is the economic value of income from the
  earths ecological services?
• 36 trillion not including nonrenewable
  resources or natural capital
• If the environment is so valuable, why is it
  being damaged?
• Short-term profit
• Subsidies for development
• Should wood prices include ecological costs?

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Natural Capital Degradation
Deforestation

• Decreased soil fertility from erosion
• Runoff of eroded soil into aquatic systems
• Premature extinction of species with
• specialized niches
• Loss of habitat for migratory species such as
• birds and butterflies
• Regional climate change from extensive clearing
• Releases CO2 into atmosphere from burning
• and tree decay
• Accelerates flooding

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• What needs to be done to create sustainable
  forestry?
• Include economic value of forests
• Balance rate of forest renewal with destruction
• Identify hot spots
• Evaluate timber grown sustainably

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Solutions
Sustainable Forestry

• Grow more timber on long rotations
• Rely more on selective cutting and strip cutting
• No clear-cutting, seed-tree, or shelterwood
  cutting
• on steeply sloped land
• No fragmentation of remaining large blocks of
  forest
• Sharply reduce road building into uncut forest
  areas
• Leave most standing dead trees and fallen timber
  for
• wildlife habitat and nutrient recycling
• Certify timber grown by sustainable methods
• Include ecological services of trees and forests
  in
• estimating economic value

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Forest fires are part of a natural cycle Surface
fire
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Crown fire Selective cutting increases the chance
of bigger fires
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Trade-Offs
Logging in U.S. National Forests
Advantages
Disadvantages
Provides only 4 of timber needs Ample private
forest land to meet timber needs Has little
effect on timber and paper prices Damages
nearby rivers and fisheries Recreation in
national forests provides more local jobs and
income for local communities than logging Decrea
ses recreational opportunities
Helps meet countrys timber needs Cut areas
grow back Keeps lumber and paper
prices down Provides jobs in nearby
communities Promotes economic growth in
nearby communities
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Foxglove
Digitalis purpurea, Europe Digitalis for heart
failure
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Pacific yew
Taxus brevifolia, Pacific Northwest Ovarian
cancer
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Cinchona
Cinchona ledogeriana, South America Quinine for
malaria treatment
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Neem tree
Azadirachta indica, India Treatment of many
diseases, insecticide, Spermicide Matures in
5-7 years Grows in poor soil in semi-arid
climates Provides fuelwood, lumber lamp
oil What are other sources for making paper
besides trees?
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Figure 11-19Page 213
Solutions
Sustaining Tropical Forests
Prevention
Restoration
Reforestation Rehabilitation of
degraded areas Concentrate farming
and ranching on already-cleared areas
Protect most diverse and endangered
areas Educate settlers about sustainable agricult
ure and forestry Phase out subsidies that
encourage unsustainable forest use Add subsidies
that encourage sustainable forest use Protect
forests with debt-for-nature swaps, conservation
easements, and conservation concessions Certify
sustainably grown timber Reduce illegal
cutting Reduce poverty Slow population growth
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Costa Ricas Megareserves-protect 80 of
biodiversity500,000 species1 billion/year in
tourismFear of developers due to increased
tourism
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Protecting Land

• Nature Conservancy
• Uses donations to buy key lands
• Gives tax benefits for placing use restrictions
  on land
• Gives tax deductions for land donations
• Smaller, connected reserves are sometimes better
  than large reserves
• Bioreserves
• MAB Man and the Biosphere Program (UNESCO)
• Protected core
• 2 less-protected buffer zones

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Biosphere Reserve
Core area
Buffer zone 1
Buffer zone 2
Human settlements
Tourism and education center
Research station
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Figure 11-24Page 219
Biodiversity Hot Spots -these 25 spots contain
2/3 of worlds biodiversity -in danger of
disruption
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USA

• 4.8 of land in USA is protected
• Only 1.8 is in lower 48
• Only 4 of 413 wilderness areas are more than
  4,000 km2 (recommended size by US Wilderness
  Society)
• 400,000 km2 of national forests waiting for
  wilderness protection
• no longer protected while waiting

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Solutions
National Parks

• Integrate plans for managing parks and nearby
  federal lands
• Add new parkland near threatened parks
• Buy private land inside parks
• Locate visitor parking outside parks and use
  shuttle buses for entering and touring heavily
  used parks
• Increase funds for park maintenance and repairs
• Survey wildlife in parks
• Raise entry fees for visitors and use funds for
  park management and maintenance
• Limit number of visitors to crowded park rangers
• Increase number and pay of park rangers
• Encourage volunteers to give visitor lectures and
  tours

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Restoration

• Restoration to original condition
• Rehabilitation create functional ecosystem
• Remediation chemical cleanup (brownfields
  abandoned industrial plants)
• Replacement new type of ecosystem (tree farm)
• Create Artificial Ecosystems artificial wetlands

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What Can You Do?
Sustaining Terrestrial Biodiversity

• Plant trees and take care of them.
• Recycle paper and buy recycled paper products.
• Buy wood and wood products made from trees that
• have been grown sustainably.
• Help rehabilitate or restore a degraded area of
• forest or grassland near your home.
• When building a home, save all the trees and as
  much
• natural vegetation and soil as possible.
• Landscape your yard with a diversity of plants
  natural
• to the area instead of having a monoculture lawn.