Value of Unprotected Habitats Brook Milligan Department of Biology - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Value of Unprotected Habitats

Brook Milligan

Department of Biology New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003 brook@nmsu.edu

Fall 2009

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats

Importance of Unprotected Areas

≈10% of area protected: insufficient to meet needs Canada: 6.3% Costa Rica: 23.4% Indonesia: 12.5% Mexico: 5% Papua New Guinea: 1.6% USA: 15.8%

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats

Importance of Unprotected Areas

Dramatic increase in protected areas impossible in many cases No available public land Private land too expensive to purchase outright Example: Florida panther: Felis concolor coryi

current range: 400,000 ha of south Florida (Figure 18.2) 50% of range on private land, which may be better habitat cost of acquisition: $2 billion management costs: $30 million annually

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats

Florida Panther

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats

Importance of Unprotected Areas

Biological value not delimited by protected areas

all species do not have the same habitat requirements therefore, all species do not have same range boundaries unprotected areas retain value

Potential impacts on reserves from surrounding lands

pollution edge effects: predatation, exotics increased population size

Buffered land use

continuum: natural ↔ multi-use ↔ agriculture ↔ urban

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats

Valuable Unprotected Habitats

Roadside rights-of-way

Texas: major fraction of state’s public land

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats

Valuable Unprotected Habitats

Roadside rights-of-way Power line rights-of-way: over 2 million ha Military reservations: over 10 million ha

White Sands Missile Range: 1 million ha

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats

Valuable Unprotected Habitats

Roadside rights-of-way Power line rights-of-way: over 2 million ha Military reservations: over 10 million ha Urban areas

raptors bats limited potential for anything other than at least moderate human comensals with restricted home ranges

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats

Valuable Unprotected Habitats

Roadside rights-of-way Power line rights-of-way: over 2 million ha Military reservations: over 10 million ha Urban areas Agricultural areas

• rganic farms

woodlots and hedge rows specific agricultural practices

mixed community: e.g., shade coffee plantations in Costa Rica

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats

Valuable Unprotected Habitats

Roadside rights-of-way Power line rights-of-way: over 2 million ha Military reservations: over 10 million ha Urban areas Agricultural areas Multiple-use habitat

management for multiple use: USFS, US BLM throughout western US multiple use does not necessarily include biodiversity, etc.

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats

Multi-use Land in Western U.S.

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats

Valuable Unprotected Habitats

Roadside rights-of-way Power line rights-of-way: over 2 million ha Military reservations: over 10 million ha Urban areas Agricultural areas Multiple-use habitat Others?

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats

Integrating Habitats Across Landscapes

Ecosystem management integrates scientific knowledge of ecological relationships within a complex sociopolitical and values framework toward the general goal of protecting native ecosystem integrity over the long term (page 415) Coordination across stakeholders

among management agencies with private landowners NGOs scientists

Management goal: shift from maximum production to sustainability

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats

Malpai Borderlands

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats

Republic of Namibia

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats

Namibia: Involvement of Local and Global Communities in Conservation

General information: CIA World Factbook Population: 2,088,669 (based on excess mortality due to AIDS; 21.3% adults infected with HIV (2003 estimate)) Area: 825,418 km2, slightly larger than Alaska Irrigated (2003): 80 km2, slightly larger than Las Cruces First country in the world to incorporate the protection of the environment into its constitution Some 14% of the land is protected, including virtually the entire Namib Desert coastal strip

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats

Namibian Community Based Natural Resource Management Conservancies

General aspects of the CBNRM Programme A natural resource management and conservation programme

it promotes wise and sustainable management of natural resources, and encourages biodiversity conservation by creating the necessary conditions for sustainable use

A rural development programme

it seeks to devolve rights and responsibilities over wildlife and tourism to rural communities, thereby creating opportunities for enterprise development and income generation

An empowerment and capacity-building programme

it encourages and assists communities and their local institutions to develop the skills and experience to sustainable develop and pro-actively pilot their own futures

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats

Namibian Community Based Natural Resource Management Conservancies

General principles People must be consulted and their ideas included in tourism planning and legislation. Legislation should assist and support tourism development. The informal tourism sector should be organised and recognised as representing community interests. Large businesses operating on communal land should involve and benefit local residents, who often gain little from wildlife and tourism on their land.

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats

Namibian Community Based Natural Resource Management Conservancies

Legal requirements (1996): a defined membership composed

• f:

a representative management committee a legally recognized constitution defined boundaries

Status: 2003

members: 38,063 area: 74,052 km2 / 825,418 km2 (9.0%) (total area of Namibia slightly larger than Alaska)

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats

Namibian Community Based Natural Resource Management Conservancies

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats

Rise in Wildlife Numbers in Namibias Rural Areas

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats

Conservancy, Household and In-kind Benefits to Communities and Conservancies

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats

Integrating Habitats Across Landscapes Important Themes

Coordinated plan for sustainability based upon quality science

components: biological, economic, social shared by: government, business, conservation groups, citizens goals

viable populations of all species representative examples of communities healthy ecosystem functions

Based upon understanding connections among levels Adaptive management based on good monotoring

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats

Adaptive Management

Brook Milligan Value of Unprotected Habitats