Land Use in the World

1
Land Use in the World
2
Land Use in the United States
3
U.S. Public Lands
4
Managing U.S. Public Lands

• Management ethics

• Economic

• Balanced multiple use

• Ecological

• Preservationist

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Changing Management

• Through late-1800s economic

• Developed to maximize use and profit

• Sold to homesteaders, railroads,
• timber and mining companies

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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

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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

8
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

9
Todays 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

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Conflicting Demands
Mineral Resources
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Wilderness Problems

• Suffering from overuse

• Limited entry in many areas

• Timber, mining companies want
• access to resources

• For the national good

12
Park Problems

• Severe overuse

• Billions of visitors each year

• Cars, noise, pollution, litter, crime

• Conflicts between providing for
• visitor enjoyment and still
• conserving resources

13
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

14
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

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Degradation of Tropical Forests
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Tropical Deforestation

• Rapid and increasing

• Loss of biodiversity

• Cultural extinction

• Unsustainable agriculture and ranching

• Clearing for cash crop plantations

• Commercial logging

• Fuelwood

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Wildlife Resources

• What is happening to the wildlife
• and plant resources around us today?

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U.S. Species Diversity
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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

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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

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Extinction Rates

• Background (natural) rate of extinction

• Massextinction

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Why Should We Care About Extinctions and
Biodiversity?
1) economics 2) aesthetics 3)
ecological 4) ethics
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Causes of Premature Extinction of Wild Species

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Habitat Disturbance and Destruction
California Condor
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Commercial Hunting
Black Rhino
Range in 1700
Range today (about 2,400 left)
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Predator and Pest Control
African Elephant
Probable range 1600
Range today (300,000 left)
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Collecting for Pets, Zoos, Research
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Pollution
Bald Eagle - DDT
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Species Introductions
Dodo Bird
Zebra Mussel
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Threats from Nonnative Species
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Strategies for Protecting Biodiversity

• Species approach

• Ecosystem approach

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The Species Approach Legal Means

• International Treaties CITES
• - Convention on International Trade in
• Endangered Species

• National Laws ESA- Endangered Species Act

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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

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The Ecosystem Approach

• Biosphere reserves

• U.S. has gt30 reserves
• - Yellowstone National Park
• - Great Smoky Mtns. National Park

• Other countries have similar reserves

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Bird Success Stories
California Condor
Whooping Crane
Peregrine Falcon
Canada Goose
Wild Turkey
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Economics and the Environment

• Sustaining economic growth?

- Is growth necessary for progress?
- Limited natural resources
- Limited capacity to deal with wastes
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Directed Economic Growth

• Identify different forms of growth
• with cost-benefit analyses

• Environmentally good (GDP)

• Environmentally bad (GDP)

• Redirect growth

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Redirecting Economic Growth

• Reduce polluting growth, and growth
• dependent on nonrenewable resources

• Encourage clean and efficient
• growth, and growth dependent on
• renewable resources

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Harmful External Costs and Full-Cost 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

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Politics

• Orderly distribution of resources

• Political systems designed to
• accomplish this goal

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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)

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NEPA

• Environmental impact statement

• Short- and long-term effects of
• project on the environment

• Examine alternatives

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United States Political System

• Executive enforce the laws

• Environmental Protection Agency
• (EPA)

• Enforce environmental regulations

• Distribute federal money for
• environmental purposes (Superfund)

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United States Political System

• Judicial interpreting the laws

• Environmental law
• - Who speaks for the trees?

The Lorax
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Environmental Policy in theUnited States
46
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

47
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

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Religion and the Environment

• Most environmental degradation has been
• the result of human attitudes and values.

• Self-centered view of nature

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Religion and the Environment

• All major religions emphasize humans as
• a part of nature

• Steward of nature

• A steward is a caretaker

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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 worlds religious leaders.

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Ecological Crisis?

• Gloom and doom?

• Technological optimism?

• Good old days?

• An important beginning

• Lots more to accomplish