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

2. 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

3. 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

5. 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)

6. 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

7. 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

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

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

10. 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)

11. 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