UNIT 8: RESOURCE USE AND EXTRACTION Section 2: Protected Lands

PROTECTED LAND Almost 13% of world’s land is designated for preservation Reasons: Preserve unusual scenic features (Grand Canyon, etc.) Recreational value Ecotourism revenue Preserve ecosystem services and biodiversity

NATIONAL PARKS Antiquities Act (1906) – granted president the ability to declare an area a “national monument”, which later can be changed to a national park First N.P. – Yellowstone National Park National Park Service (created 1916) – manages parks and monuments (84 million acres in the U.S.) National Parks are FREE from ANY resource extraction or development

THE U.S. CREATED THE IDEA OF NATIONAL REFUGES President Theodore Roosevelt initiated the national wildlife refuge system Wildlife Refuges are “havens” for species, but allow hunting, fishing, observation, etc. Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

BASIC “WILDERNESS” Congress passed Wilderness Act of 1964 to declare certain areas as “wilderness”, banning development there permanently Established in federal lands Allowed logging, mining, and grazing if it was already in place in that area

STATE LEVEL AND PRIVATELY OWNED LAND U.S. States also manage their own park systems to protect land Land Trusts – private organizations that can purchase federal land to protect it The Nature Conservancy is the world’s largest land trust

EXCEPTIONAL AREAS Biospheres can be established in areas where biodiversity is unusually high

EXCEPTIONAL AREAS World Heritage Sites – valued for natural and/or CULTURAL significance

HABITAT FRAGMENTATION MAKES PROTECTING AREAS MORE IMPORTANT Logging, agriculture, and residential development chop up large habitats into small, disconnected ones Leads to: Reduced ability for species to survive Reduced gene flow between organisms Edge effects – where species are pushed to edge of the forest, etc. where conditions are different from their normal habitat Corridors can help species get from one patch to another SLOSS Dilemma – is it better to have a single, large preserve or several small? Answer: It depends on the species! (Wildebeest vs. insects)

ISLAND BIOGEOGRAPHY THEORY Describes how organisms end up on islands Also applies to “habitat islands” of forests, grasslands, etc. Balance between immigration and extirpation Affected by an island’s size and distance from other islands Distance – farther away = less colonists Size – larger area = more species Easier targets, more habitats, and less extirpation