Wildlife preservescanbefoundineverycountry,everyenvironmentandeveryecosystem.Preservesretainasmuchofaprimevalcharacteraspossible,actingas sanctuaries for flora & fauna and the natural processes unique to many of these oftenveryspecialareas.Preservesareprotectedfromdevelopmentinanattempttopreservetheircharacter.Unfortunately,bueracratsandpsuedo-conservationalistssometimeshavealteriorideasofapreserve’spurpose. Broadly speaking, wildlife preserves are areas of importance for wildlife, flora andfauna,orfeaturesofgeologicalorotherspecialinterest,whicharereservedandmanagedforconservationandtoprovidespecialopportunitiesforstudyandresearch.Inturn,wecangainabetterunderstandingofhowthesespecialplacesfunctionandwhatwecandotoprotectthem.Furthermore,itallowsustoexaminehowsuchpres-ervationandmanagementcanbeextendedfarbeyonddesignatedboundariesandintoourcities,towns,andneighborhoodscreatingamuchgreaterandcompleteecosystemvitality. Asdevelopmentcontinuestoconsumeavailableland,itisveryimportantthatwildlifepreservesdon’tsimplyactastouristattractions,butrathertheybecomeim-portanttoolsthathelpusincorporatehabitatpreservationintotheever-encroachingdevelopment. Official reserves may be designated by government institutions, private land owners,charities,researchinstitutions,orpreservationorganizations.However,reservescanalsobecreatedinone’sownbackyard! Themoralofthestory:Wildlifepreservesaidininforminguswhat’simportanttoprotect.Preservationshouldextendfarbeyondtheirboundariesandbeamajorconsiderationinallphasesofplanninganddevelopment.

Clockwisefromtopleft

ArcticWildlifeRefuge,NEAlaska(arctic.fws.gov)

CloudForestReserve,Monteverde,CostaRica(monteverdeinfo.com)

LoangoNat’lPark,Gabon(atlas.geo.cornell.edu)

WILDLIFE PRESERVES ZacharyMSmith

“Conservationbeginswithsavingrealplaces-thefor-estsanddeserts,riversandwetlands,mangrovesandcoralreefsthatmakeuptheweboflife.”-WorldWildlifeFoundation

PreservingWildlife

1|Wildlife preserves

Context: Wildlifepreservescanbefarrangingintype,scale,purpose,andlocation.Generallyspeaking,theyshouldinculdekeyhabitatareasinvariousecosystems,environmentalresourceareas,habitatforthreatened/endangeredspecies,migrationcorridors, rare landscape elements, areas of cultural significance, water-related ecosystems,etc. Inaddition,wildlifeneedshabitatforbreeding,shelter,food,migration,andanyother facet of living. Preserved areas are vital for flora and fauna, for health of natural systems and processes, opportunities for education and research, and are beneficial tobiodiversity.TheabilitytopreservevariousimportantecosystemsandlandscapesimprovesthehealthofthelargerMotherEarthinmanyways,lesseningimpactsofCO2inducedglobalwarming,improvingwatersystemhealth,habitatdiversity,etc Urbanization,sprawl,development(4millionacresoflandlosttodevelopmentea.year!),agriculture,climateshift,pollution,industryandpolitrixhaveallledtoadeclineinavailableopenspace.Decrease in quantity and quality: Fragmentation of wildlife patches lessens value of habitat,disruptscorridors,hindersbiodiversitypersistence/stability,andhurtsecosystemvitality.. rule of Thumb:Importanttoincludehabitatprotectionaspartoftheplanningprocessandthoroughlyidentifyandevaluateimportantecosystemsandnaturalresources. Goal:Ideally,RefugeAreasbecome“hubs”thatpromoteconservationstrate-giesextendingfarbeyondtheirboundaries,intootherhabitatareasincorporatedintoplanninganddevelopmentfromprivate,corporate,state,andfederallandowners. presence of protected ecosystems enhances quality of life for all.

“In wilderness lies the preservation of the world.” - Thoreau

Case: Gabon

ThegovernmentofGabonhasrecentlymadeawelcomedmovetoprotectitsdiverseandrichlandscape.Gaboncreatedasystemof13NationalParksandseveral protected areas on 10% of its total land. (over 10,000 sq miles) Logging and industrialdevelopmentwillbecompletelybannedwithintheseareas. Theparksrangefromwhitesandcoastlinebeaches,withroaminghippoes,tounparalledforestedjungles,withgorillasandchimpanzees,tosavannahgrass-landswheregiraffestoweroverthehorizon. Gabon’snewlyadoptedpreservationstrategyaimsatappropriatelongtermprotection for the various unique ecosystems and species. As a result, preserva-tionoftheforestshelpslessenthestrainongloablwarmingandiscertainlyastepforwardinprotectingthelandscapeofGabonfromseriousecologicaldestruction.AmovethatwillultimatelyaidinsustainablepracticesintheCentalAfricancountry. ThecreationoftheseNationalReservesisahugevictorytowardsprotectingGabon’sextraordinarybiologicalwealthandservesasanexcellentprecendentforothercountriestofollow.Gabonhasputapremiumoncreatingaviablealternativetoexploitationofnaturalresources.

2| Wildlife preserves wildlifephotos:MichaelFay,NationalGeographic

essential elements: Aspreviouslymentioned,itisinherentlyimportanttoincludehabitatprotectionaspartoftheplanningprocessandthoroughlyidentifyandevalu-ateimportantecosystemsandnaturalresources.Knowledgeofregionalhabitatandecology significantly aids in the ability conservation on all scales to become far more effective. It is difficult to put rules on preservation, it seems somewhat instinctive that moreisbetter.However,thePlanningAdvisoryServicehaspreparedalistofBiologicalPrinciplestoaidinitsinclusion: 1.)MAINTAINLARGE,INTACTPATCHESOFNATIVEVEGETATIONBYPREVENTINGFRAGMENTATIONOFPATCHESTHROUGHDEVELOPMENT. - size of patches greatly influences wildlife population size and persistence 2.)ESTABLISHPRIORITIESFORSPECIESPROTECTIONANDPROTECTHABITATSTHATPROMOTETHEDISTRIBUTIONANDABUNDANCEOFSPECIES. 3.)PROTECTRARELANDSCAPEELEMENTS -steerdevelopmentawayfromrareand/orsensitveareas 4.)MAINTAINCONNECTIONSAMONGWILDLIFEHABITATSBYIDENTIFY-INGANDPROTECTIONGCORRIDORSFORMOVEMENT. -aidsinmigration,safermovement,hindersisolationandinbreeding 5.)MAINTAINSIGNIFICANTECOLOGICALPROCESSESSUCHASFIREORFLOODSINPROTECTEDAREAS 6.)CONTRIBUTETOREGIONALPERSISTENCEOFRARESPECIESBYPROTECTINGHABITATLOCALLY. 7.)BALANCEOPPORTUNITYFORPUBLICRECREATIONWILDHABITATNEEDSOFWILDLIFE In addition, it would be beneficial to incorporate natural community and biodi-versityplanningearlyintheplanningprocess,atalllevels.Stateagenciesshouldcre-ateminimumstandardsandprovidetechnicalassistancetoprospectivepreservationplans.EndangeredSpeciesActandmorestringentstate/citylawsshouldact,attheleast,assafetynetsforspeciesprotection.Also,landowner’sshouldprepareHabitatConservationPlanstoapplytotheirlandsandupdatethemaccordingly.

Italsoimportanttobeawareofthreatstopreservedareasinordertomakethemasfunctionallyhealthyaspossible.-Invasivespecies-pollution,especiallywaterrelated-sprawlandfragmentation-lackofinformationand/orknowledgeneededtomakesoundmanagementdecisions -inadequate staffing and facilities -uninformed or destructive public -underfundingAllcanhavepotentiallyverynegativeeffectsonthevigorofpreservedareas,therefore,itisimportanttobeinformedinordertoactandcombatpotentialproblems.

“Unlesssomeonelikeyoucaresawholelot,nothingisgoingtogetbetter.It’snot.”

-Dr.Seuss,TheLorax

WildlifePreserves

3| Wildlife preserves

-SeattlePI

“What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, men would die from a great loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. All things are connected.” - Chief Seattle

Case: Cloud forest reserve, Monteverde, Costa rica

CostaRicaisworldrenownforit’sextraordinarybiodiversity.Infact,morebiodiversitycanbefoundinCostaRicathananywhereelse.Asaresult,CostaRicahasbecomeoneofthefrontrunnersinpreservationandrestoration. Acloudforestisnotyournormalrainforest.Itisaptlynamedsobecausethetreecanopyisactuallyabovetheclouds.TheMonteverdeCloudForestReserveisatestamenttoCostaRica’srichbiodiversity.Over10,500hectaresoflushjungle,deepgorges,andcrystalclearriversandwaterfalls.Thereserveishometoover100differentmammals,400speciesofbirds(30hummingbirdspecies),tensofthou-sandsofinsectspecies,andover2,500plantspeciesincluding420orchids!TheReserveisconsideredoneofthemostoutstandingworlwide. The Reserve is run by the Tropical Science Center, a non-profit organization. CostaRica’sabilitytoactivelyengageinprotectingit’spristineecosystemsspeaksvolumesoftheirconservationefforts. CloudForestsabsorbCO2,butatthesametimearethreatenedbyglobalwarmingandclimateshift.Theyserveasacrucialsocialeducationaltooltoeducatepeoplewhytheyneedtobeprotected.Inaddition,bioprospecting,thesearchfornewcures,isamajorundertakingintheReserve. CostaRicaisveryactiveinlandconservation,reforestation,identifyingbio-logicalcorridors,advancingresearchandimplementingtheirreservesasimportanteducationaltools.Clearly,theyareoneoftheworldleadersinconservationandaregreatexamplestolookto.

4| Wildlife preserves

-MapsandphotosfromMonteverdeinfo.com

Acquisition/implementation:

Reservesmaybedesignatedbygovernmentinstitutions,privatelandown-ers,charities,researchinstitutions,orpreservationorganizations.It’salsoimportantto note that because an area may not be “officially” deemed a Wildlife Preserve, it canstillfunctionasapreservationofavaluableprocess,system,landscape,orhabitat. Recently,theUnitedStateshasaidedseveralcountries,Gabonincluded,increatingreservesandnationalparks.TheU.S.hasalsobeenknowntotradedebtfor land, and set aside the acquisitions as land preserves. However, some skeptics question their intentions. In the US, many government agencies have a hand in dealing with land acquistion and designation, too many to list in fact. Better yet, there is well many more non-profit organizations that dedicate theireffortstowardsconservation.IncludingtheWorldWildlifeFoundation,theNatureConservancy,WildAid,Greenpeace,theSierraClubandmany,manymore.

lesson of importance: Intoday’severchangingworld,preservationoflandandhabitatbecomesmoreandmoreimportant.Continuedgrowthanddevelopedknowledgeofimportantnaturalresourcesandecosystemsbecomescrucialinunderstandingthebestwaystoprotect,preserve,andconservehabitatforthelifeandnaturalprocesseswhichdependonthem.Itisincreasinglyimperativethathabitatprotectionbecomesamajorpartintheplanningprocessonallscalesandalllevels. Existingwildlifepreservesshouldactashubs,inwhichtheywouldinformandsetprecedentastowhatshouldbeprotectedandhowitshouldbeaccomplished.Moreimportantly,preservationshouldextendfarbeyondthereservesandintourban,suburban,andruraldevelopmentwiththereservesactingascentralnuclei,facilitatingamorecompletehabitathealth,connectivity,andfunctionality.Itcannotsimplyhappenonitsown.Itwilltakethecare,dedication,andingenuityofpeoplewhowattomakeadifference.Striveforsomethingbetter.

Citynametagline(arial18pt)

WildlifePreserves

5|Wildlife preserves

Case study: National refuge system, United states.ArcticWildlifeRefuge ANWR.AwildliferefugelocatedinNEAlaskaheavilydisputedbecauseofrecentattemptstoopentherefugetooildrillingenterprises.Providesaperfectexampleofhowpoliticsandmonetarygaincanplayenormousrolesinpreservation. Hopefully, with a new office, we will see efforts placed elsewhere...TheNationalWildlifeRefuge:- 540 areas of wildlife habitat, 3,000 waterfowl areas equalling over 95 millionacresinall50statesandTerritories-Inadditionto75“Wilderness”Areasanother21millionacresin25statesRefugeSystemsafeguardsareasfromdevelopmentandensuresconservationofecosystemsacrossentirespectrum,bothcommonandrare,toprotectspeciesandhabitat.TheNWRAaims:Toprotect,enhance,andexpandtheNationalWildlifeRefugeSystem,landssetasidebytheAmericanpeopletoprotectourcountry’sdiversewildlifeheritage.InWashington:AsidefromthestunningNationalParks,Washingtongroupsprotectedareasintotwocateogries:NaturalAreaPreservesandNaturalConservationAreas.PreserveAreas presently includes approximately 30,900 acres in forty-nine sites while ConservationAreasincludetwenty-eightsitestotallingapproximately86,550acres.Sitesarefarranginginsize,typeandresonforpreservation.Typically,otherthanstate land, they are acquired through gift or purchase and are managed by Wash-ingtonNaturalHeritageProgramandtheDNR.Formoreinfo/maps:http://www.dnr.wa.gov/base/programs.html

“Itishorrifyingthatwehavetofight our own government to savetheenvironment.”-AnselAdams

“Withouthabitat,thereisnowildlife.It’sthatsimple.”-WildlifeHabitatCanada

“Whatwearedoingtotheforestsoftheworldisbutamirror reflection of what we are doingtoourselvesandtooneanother.”-Gandhi

6 Wildlife preserves

resources:

www.worldwildlife.org www.nationalgeographic.comwww.greenpeace.orgwww.wcs.orgwww.nrcs.usda.gov/www.nature.org/http://www.refugenet.org/http://www.dnr.wa.gov/www.nwf.org/www.awf.org/www.wwfcanada.org/www.wildaid.org/www.sierraclub.orgwww.epa.govhttp://arctic.fws.gov/http://www.monteverdeinfo.com/http://www.cloudforestalive.org/http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2002/sept/gabon/(Gabon)http://www.gabonnationalparks.com/

“TheImportanceofPlanningforWildlifeHabitatProtection,”RalphWillmer,2000AICP

“PreciousHeritage:TheStatusofBiodiversityintheUnitedStates”EditedbyBruceA.Stein,LynnS.Kutner,andJonathanS.AdamsOxfordUniversityPress.PublishedMarch200