Making Connections

1
Making Connections

• Ecological Corridors Connect Regions

Meagan Zeune
2
Yellowstone National Park 2.2 Million
Acres Established by Congress March 1, 1872 (YNP
Plan)
3
So large that state of Rhode Island fits within
boundaries of Yellowstone National Park (Chase,
1987)
Yet cannot support all species year-round (Role,
Harris et al) Cannot exist in isolation
4
How do we cooperatively manage ecosystems beyond
park boundaries?

• Importance of connecting ecosystems
• Strategies
• Case studies
• Effective corridors
• Application across the globe

5
Importance of connecting ecosystems

• National Parks
• Smaller than they seem
• Isolation
• Biodiversity

6
National Parks

• Extraordinary
• Irreplaceable
• Valuable
• Genetic material can spur medical advances ex.
  DNA analysis from enzymes in bacteria (Schullery,
  2004)

http//travelyellowstone.com/galleries/img_hot_poo
l_g.htm
7
Smaller than they seem

• Secure Habitat is reduced by
• Roads
• Edges
• Straight edges- Poor ecologically (Forman, 1995)
• Edge width based on species sensitive to humans
  (grizzly bears) reaches thousands of meters
• Winter weather

8
Isolation hurts species viability

• Subpopulations of a species metapopulation rely
  on interactions with large, close habitat and
  subpopulations
• Connectivity ensures
• -genetic variety
• -recolonization after die out or disturbance
• -regulated population size, extinction less
  likely
• (Forman 1995)

9
Biodiversity

• Resiliency
• Secures future of the park and species
• Genetic Info
• -Flowing gene pool
• -Medical uses
• -Prevents species extinction

10

• In order to protect future of NPs
• -biodiversity
• Essential to care for ecosystem outside the park
  and connect it with wildlife areas, prevent
  isolation
• How do we cooperatively manage ecosystems beyond
  park boundaries?
• -strategies
• -case studies
• -application

11
Strategies

• Purchase land
• Conservation easements
• Tax incentives
• Educate farmers, hunters
• Buffer zones
• Ecological corridors

-Specifically address isolation
problems -Cooperative, less expensive
12
Strategies

• Effective Migration Corridors
• -Low mortality rate
• -Maintains or Enhances metapopulations viability
  (Bolger, 1992)
• -Increases movement efficiency (Forman 1995)

13
Case Studies

• Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) Conservation
  Initiative
• Rocky Mountain network of more than 800
  organizations
• Algonquin to Adirondack (A2A)
• Eastern U.S. non-profit organization

14
Yellowstone to Yukon EcoRegion
15

• Algonquin to Adirondacks is about retaining,
  restoring or enhancing natural ecosystems and
  connectivity, while preserving the values and
  lifestyles of the people who call this area
  home. (A2A)
• Created in early 1990s
• Rooted in land stewardship by those whose lives
  and livelihood depends on the land

16
Southern Ontario
Upper New York
17
Applying Principles Elsewhere

• Eastern areas- industrialized, but not developed
• -Appalachian Mountain Range
• -West Virginia and Kentucky

18
Partnering People, Using Resources

• Each region has different opportunities
• West - large NPs and Land Reserves
• - Ranchers
• East - State Parks
• -Golf Courses
• -Greenways and Recreation Corridors
• -Public Education and Community cooperatives

19

• In Conclusion
• It is vitally important that we take steps to
  protect and connect ecosystems beyond park and
  reserve boundaries.
• Migration Corridor is one way to explicitly
  identify and connect ecosystems in a Region
• The key to this is partnerships that cross
  political, social, and economic boundaries
• -to connect people and places

20
References

• Algonquin to Adirondack Conservation Association.
  http//www.a2alink.org/background.html
• Bolger, Douglas. The Role of Corridors Nature
  Conservation. Science May 1992.
• Chase, Alston. Playing God In Yellowstone The
  Destruction of Americas First National Park. New
  York, NY Harvest, 1987.
• Forman, Richard. Land Mosaics The ecology of
  landscapes and regions. Cambridge University
  Press, 1995.
• Harris,L et al. The Role of Networks and
  Corridors in Enhancing the Value and Protection
  of National Parks and Equivalent Areas. National
  Parks and Protected Areas. Wright, R.G.
  Cambridge, MA Blackwell Service, 1996.
• Schullery, Paul. Searching for Yellowstone. 2nd
  ed. Helena, MT Montana Historical Society, 2004.
• Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative.
  http//www.y2y.net/people/default.asp