Download Land Resource Issues - Winona State University

Land Use in the World
Land Use in the United States
Rangeland
and pasture
29%
U.S. Public Lands
Managing U.S. Public Lands
Management ethics
Economic
Balanced multiple use
Ecological
Preservationist
Changing Management
Through late-1800s: economic
Developed to maximize use and profit
Sold to homesteaders, railroads,
timber and mining companies
Changing Management
Late-1800s: balanced multiple use
Use in several ways, but manage
properly so resource is not damaged
Maximum sustained yield
Set aside forest reserves to ensure
adequate timber supply, protect
river watersheds
Changing Management
Also late-1800s: ecological
Use it, but emphasize maintaining
natural aspects (plants, animals)
1872: lands set aside for eventual 1st
national park - Yellowstone
Ethic supported greatly by U.S.
President Theodore Roosevelt
Changing Management
Throughout 1900s: preservationist
No development, leave as is for future
Aldo Leopold, WI conservationist
1964: National Wilderness Act (4%)
- lands set aside, retained in natural
state, no development unless for the
“national good”
Today’s Management
Most lands managed according to
balanced multiple use or ecological
ethics
- e.g. U.S. Forest Service
Bureau of Land Management
Public lands still facing many problems
Conflicting Demands
Mineral Resources
Wilderness Problems
Suffering from overuse
Limited entry in many areas
Timber, mining companies want
access to resources
For the “national good”
Park Problems
Severe overuse
Billions of visitors each year
Cars, noise, pollution, litter, crime
Conflicts between providing for
visitor enjoyment and still
conserving resources
Forest Problems
Conflicting demands
Timber, grazing, recreation, mining,
ecology
Ecological benefits: air cleaning,
erosion control, oxygen, soil fertility,
water recycling, wildlife shelter
Exceeding maximum sustained yield
in many areas
Rangeland Problems
Overgrazing
Too many on too little for too long
Kills grass root systems
When combined with drought,
overgrazing can cause desertification
- conversion to desert
Degradation of Tropical Forests
Tropical Deforestation
 Rapid and increasing
 Loss of biodiversity
 Cultural extinction
 Unsustainable agriculture and ranching
 Clearing for cash crop plantations
 Commercial logging
 Fuelwood
Wildlife Resources
What is happening to the wildlife
and plant resources around us today?
U.S. Species Diversity
Decreasing Biodiversity
10-20% of species alive in 1975 were
extinct in 2000
Mostly plants, invertebrates in tropical
rain forests (many undescribed species)
40% of all species live in tropical areas
Disappear along with forests
Extinction Not New
99% of all species have gone extinct
Gradual environmental changes have
been responsible for most extinctions
Rapid environmental changes from
asteroids, etc. also have been important
in many extinctions
Extinction Rates
Background (natural) rate of extinction
Mass
extinction
Why Should We Care About
Extinctions and Biodiversity?
1) economics
2) aesthetics
3) ecological
4) ethics
Causes of Premature Extinction of
Wild Species
Habitat Disturbance and
Destruction
California Condor
Commercial Hunting
Black Rhino
Range in 1700
Range today
(about 2,400 left)
Predator and Pest Control
African Elephant
Probable range 1600
Range today
(300,000 left)
Collecting for Pets, Zoos,
Research
Pollution
Bald Eagle
- DDT
Species Introductions
Dodo Bird
Zebra Mussel
Threats from Nonnative Species
Strategies for
Protecting
Biodiversity
Species approach
Ecosystem
approach
The Species Approach: Legal Means
 International Treaties: CITES
- Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species
 National Laws: ESA
- Endangered Species Act
The Species Approach: The
Sanctuary
 Wildlife refuges and protected areas
- e.g. whooping cranes
 Gene banks, botanical gardens, and farms
 Zoos and Aquariums
- captive breeding programs
The Ecosystem Approach
Biosphere reserves
U.S. has >30 reserves
- Yellowstone National Park
- Great Smoky Mtns. National Park
Other countries have similar reserves
Bird Success Stories
California Condor
Whooping Crane
Peregrine Falcon
Canada Goose
Wild Turkey
Economics and the Environment
Sustaining economic growth?
- Is growth necessary for progress?
- Limited natural resources
- Limited capacity to deal with wastes
Directed Economic Growth
Identify different forms of growth
with cost-benefit analyses
Environmentally good (GDP)
Environmentally bad (GDP)
Redirect growth
Redirecting Economic Growth
Reduce polluting growth, and growth
dependent on nonrenewable resources
Encourage “clean” and efficient
growth, and growth dependent on
renewable resources
Harmful External Costs and FullCost Pricing
External costs - need to eliminate
waste in the economy
Full-cost pricing - pay true cost for
goods and services
- recycling fee and pollution
tax to cost of new tires, oil
changes
Politics
Orderly distribution of resources
Political systems designed to
accomplish this goal
United States Political System
Legislative: enact laws to ensure
equitable distribution of resources
Clean Air & Water Acts, Water
Pollution Control Act, RCRA,
Endangered Species Act, National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
NEPA
Environmental impact statement
Short- and long-term effects of
project on the environment
Examine alternatives
United States Political System
Executive: enforce the laws
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA)
Enforce environmental regulations
Distribute federal money for
environmental purposes (Superfund)
United States Political System
Judicial: interpreting the laws
Environmental law
- Who “speaks for the trees”?
The
Lorax
Environmental Policy in the
United States
Factors Hindering Democracies in
Dealing with Environmental Problems
 Lack of long-range planning
(usually focus on short-term issues)
 Special interest groups have too much
influence
 Too much bureaucracy
Factors Hindering Democracies in
Dealing with Environmental Problems
 Reactive to problems instead of proactive
 Major affected groups do not vote; no
obligation on the part of politicians
 Elected officials spend too much time
raising money to be reelected
Religion and the Environment
 Most environmental degradation has been
the result of human attitudes and values.
 Self-centered view of nature
Religion and the Environment
 All major religions emphasize humans as
a part of nature
 Steward of nature
 A steward is a caretaker
Religion and the Environment
 Most people do not practice their religious
or philosophical beliefs when it relates to
the environment (not acting as stewards)
 Human population growth
 Resource problems
 Pollution problems
 More emphasis is being placed on
environmental concerns now by the world’s
religious leaders.
Ecological Crisis?
 Gloom and doom?
 Technological optimism?
 “Good old days”?
 An important beginning
 Lots more to accomplish