Title: Land, Public and Private
1Chapter 10
2Julia Butterfly Hill
- http//www.youtube.com/watch?vFyLiOnmBZLw
- http//www.youtube.com/watch?vDT0LkvYNnfY
- http//www.youtube.com/watch?vUXc_1V6-u4I
3Human Land Use affects the environment in many
ways
- Positive land use agriculture(food), housing
(shelter), recreation, industry, mining, and
waste disposal. - Negative consequences mudslides (excessive
logging), deforestation (climate change and
environmental problems), species extinction,
rerouting of water runoff, soil degradation, and
water pollution - Three important concepts Tragedy of the
Commons, externalities, and maximum sustainable
yield
4Tragedy of the Commons- Garrett Hardin(ecologist)
1968
- The tendency of a shared, limited resource to
become depleted because people act from
self-interest for short- term gain. - Hardin asks us to imagine the grazing of animals
on a common ground open to all. Individuals are
motivated to add to their flocks to increase
personal wealth. Yet, every animal added to the
total degrades the commons a small amount.
Although the degradation for each additional
animal is small relative to the gain in wealth
for the owner, if all owners follow this pattern
the commons will ultimately be destroyed. - Therein is the tragedy. Each man is locked into a
system that compels him to increase his herd
without limit - in a world that is limited.
5Externalities
- Externality is a cost or benefit of a good or
service that is not included in the purchase
price of that good or service. (bakery example) - Negative externalities lead to serious
environmental damage for which no one is held
legally or financially responsible. - In Environmental Science, we must always account
for any potential harm that comes from the use of
that resource. - Prevention includes private ownership, regulation
- Ex In the Lorax the Onceciler did not have to
pay for the harm he caused by taking down all of
the truffula trees. That cost was passed on to
others (the fish, the, birds, the bobiloots).
6Maximum Sustainable Yield
- MSY- of a renewable resource is the maximum
amount that can be harvested without compromising
the future availability of that resource.
This point is often reached when the population
size is about ½ the carrying capacity.
7Theory of MSY
- Harvesting the maximum sustainable yield will
permit an indefinite use without depletion of the
resource. - In reality, we do not know the exact MSY of an
ecosystem with certainty, so we will not know if
a yield is truly sustainable until months or
years later, when we evaluate the effect of the
harvest on reproduction. - Logging of trees too many, destruction of
forest. Too few, younger trees dont grow
8International Land Protection
- Approx. 11 of Earths land area is protected
internationally or nationally. - In 2003, the UN classified protected lands into 6
categories according to how they are used. - National Parks-managed for scientific,
educational, recreational use and for protecting
certain animal species. (2.7) (natives) - Managed Resource Protected Areas-allows for
sustained use of biological , mineral, and
recreational resources - Habitat/Species Management Areas-to maintain
biological communities through hunting/conservatio
n - Strict Nature Reserves and Wilderness Areas-to
protect species and ecosystems - Protected Landscapes and Seascapes
nondestructive use of resources, allows tourism
and recreation - National Monuments
9Public Lands in the U.S.
- In the US 42 of the nations land area is
publicly held- a larger percentage than any other
nation. - The federal government is the largest single
landowner- 25 of the country. 55 in western 11
states, 37 Alaska. This includes - Rangelands
- National forests
- National parks
- National wildlife refuges
- Wilderness areas
- The resource conservation ethic people should
maximize resource use based on the greatest good
for everyone. Areas are preserved and managed for
economic, scientific, recreational, and aesthetic
purposes. -
10Federal lands Protected in the US
11Land Use in the US
- More than 95 of all federal lands are managed by
4 federal agencies and are classified as multiple
use lands(may be used for recreation, grazing,
timber, mineral extraction) - Bureau of Land Management (BLM)-grazing, mining,
timber harvesting, and recreation - US Forest Service (USFS)-timber harvesting,
grazing and recreation - National Park Service(NPS)-recreation and
conservation - Fish and Wildlife Service(FWS)-wildlife
conservation, hunting and recreation
12Land management practices vary according to land
use
- Rangelands-dry, open grasslands used primarily
for cattle grazing. - Benefits-land that cannot be used for farming(too
dry) can be used, uses less fossil fuel energy
than feedlots. - Deficits stream banks can be damaged, surface
water can be polluted, a region can quickly be
denuded of vegetation if overgrazed, soil
erosion. The BLM sets up guidelines for grazing
but are not consistently successful in preserving
rangeland ecosystems.
13The Taylor Grazing Act
- The Taylor grazing Act of 1934 was passed to halt
overgrazing. It converted federal rangelands from
a commons to a permit based grazing system which
limits the number of animals grazing in a
particular area. Critics argue the low cost of
permits encourages overgrazing. - The Fed. Govt spends more money managing its
rangelands than it receives in permit fees.
14Forests Timber Harvest Practices
- Clear Cutting- removal of all or almost all trees
within an area. When a stand or cluster of trees
have been harvested, foresters often replant or
reseed the area. When done on slopes, clear
cutting increases - wind and water erosion which causes soil and
nutrient loss, adds silt and sediments to nearby
streams, and harms aquatic populations. Denuded
slopes can cause mudslides, habitat alteration
and decreased biodiversity - 73 of of the forests used for commercial timber
operations are privately owned. Commercial
logging companies are allowed to use US national
forests in exchange for royalties
15- Selective Cutting- removes single trees or a
small number of trees from among many in a
forest. This produces optimum growth among shade
tolerant tree species as only part of the floor
will receive direct sunlight. - Logging roads built to access forests fragment
the forest habitat leading to species diversity
changes, compaction of soil, leading to nutrient
loss and reductions in water infiltration. - Ecologically Sustainable Forestry- has a goal of
maintaining all species of plants and animals in
as close to a natural state as possible. Trees
are removed in ways that do not unduly affect the
viability of noncommercial tree species.
16Timber Harvest Practices
Clear Cutting
Selective cutting
17Conflicts over land use
- Conflicts over land use created by competing
interests and values are clearly demonstrated
with the issue of logging. - Timber production is a mission of the USFS
- Maintaining biodiversity is also an important
goal. - All logging disrupts habitats, thus effecting
species. Logging often replaces complex forest
ecosystems with tree plantations that never
develop into mature ecologically diverse forests.
18Fire Management
- Fire is a natural process that is important for
nutrient recycling and regeneration. - For years humans did all they could to suppress
forest fires, which led to a large accumulation
of dead biomass of the forest floor. - Eventually this fuel built up until a large fire
became inevitable. - One way to reduce dead biomass is by starting a
prescribed burn which reduces the risk of
uncontrolled natural fires.
191/3 of Yellowstone National Park burns in the
summer of 1988
20National Parks
- Many parks were originally established to
preserve scenic views and unusual landforms. - Now they are set aside to specifically protect
ecosystems. - Now they are managed for scientific, educational,
aesthetic, and recreational use, as well as for
conservation and protection of wildlife species. - Goals of NPS is based on the multiple-use
principle. Biggest challenge reducing the human
activity impact on the parks.
21Wildlife Refuges and Wilderness Areas
- National wildlife refuges are the only federal
public lands managed for the primary purpose of
protecting wildlife. - National Wilderness areas allow only limited
human use and are designated as road less. These
area are set aside with the intent on preserving
large tracts of intact ecosystems.
22Federal Regulation of Land Use
- The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)1969
- Mandates an environmental assessment of all
projects involving federal money or permits. - This process is designed to ensure protection of
the nations resources. - Environmental Impact Statements(EIS) must be
filed by developers. It outlines the scope and
purpose of the project, describes the
environmental context, suggests alternatives
approaches to the the project, and analyzes the
environmental impact of each. - Environmental mitigation plans stating how they
will address the projects environmental impact
are often required as well. - Endangered Species Act of 1973 was designed to
protect species from extinction (if this is
uncovered in the project.)
23Residential land use is expanding
- The greatest of population growth in the last
50 years has occurred in suburban and exurban
areas. - The rural population has been declining since
1900. The population of cities has declined as a
percentage of the US population as well. - This is due to the advent of the automobile,
highway construction, living costs in the city,
urban blight and government policies (zoning) - This has led to urban sprawl- creation of
urbanized areas that spread into rural areas and
removed clear boundaries between the two.
24Urban Blight
- As people move away from the city to suburbs and
exurbs, the city often deteriorates, causing yet
more people to leave. - This cycle is an example of a positive feedback
system. - Historically, urban blight has contributed to
racial segregation when those leaving the cities
for the suburbs were predominantly middle-upper
income Caucasians resulting in highly
concentrated minority populations in city
centers.
25- Induced demand-an increase in the supply of a
good causes the demand to grow. The Highway Trust
Fund built roads that encouraged people to move
and have to drive further and further away from
work. As more roads are built, more people
commute. - Govt zoning can restrict areas for certain land
uses. ie residential vs. commercial etc.
Sometimes they allow multi-use zoning. However,
most zoning promotes automobile-dependent
development.
26Causes and Effects of Sprawl
- Automobiles and highway construction allow people
to work in the city and live many miles away in a
quieter community. - Living Costs-You can obtain more land and a
larger house for the same amount of money by
living in the suburbs. However, this does exclude
lower income families. - Urban Blight-as people move away from the city,
the city often deteriorates, causing yet more
people to leave.
27Smart Growth-EPAs 10 basic principles
- Mixed Land Uses
- Create a range of housing opportunities and
choices. - Create walkable neighborhoods.
- Encourage community and stakeholder collaboration
in development decisions. - Take advantage of compact building design.
- Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a
strong sense of place
28- 7. Preserve open space, farmland, natural
beauty and critical environmental areas. - 8. Provide a variety of transportation choices.
- 9. Strengthen and direct development toward
existing communities. - 10. Make Development decisions predictable, fair
and cost effective.