Good practices for Grassland Management:

1
Good practices for Grassland Management
Rotational grazing Increasing charges per animal
for grazing on public lands Raising animals best
suited for particular regions Grazing groups of
different animals instead of 1 species
2
A Better Way to Use Chemical Pesticides
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Uses small amounts of pesticides in concert with
carefully planned crops and mechanical
techniques like vacuuming bugs. Chemicals are
targeted and carefully applied Tray crops to
attract insects from main crops Organic
methodsusing other insects and bugs to control
the ones that are problems
3
Biodiversity

• Genetic Diversity (within a species)
• Species Diversity (within a community or
  ecosystem)
• Richness-
• Evenness-
• Ecological Diversity (richness and complexity of
  a biological community

4
Why do we care about maintaining biodiversity?

• Utilitarian Reasons
• Food
• Medicines and drugs
• Ecological balance
• Aesthetic and cultural value

Biocentric reasons 1. Inherent value of all
life 2. Existence value of all living creatures
5
How many species are on Earth? 1.5 million
identified of estimated 3 - 50 million
potentially existing
6
What regions of earth house most species?
Tropical Rainforests have greatest
diversity Temperate Rainforests have 2nd
greatest diversity
Endemic Species Species unique to a particular
region
7
How are human activities affecting biodiversity?
Although mass extinctions are natural result of
evolution and catastrophic disturbances like K/T
event (only 1 of total number of
species that have existed still exist) Human
activities are accelerating extinction rates. 1
species /decade is normal for an undisturbed
ecosystem Human activities result in hundreds
even thousands of species disappearing every year
8
Lazarus Species
9
How do humans threaten biodiversity?
Habitat Destruction Invasive Species
Pollution Population Growth Overharvesting
(HIPPO)
10
Major Legislation to Protect Species from
Extinction
US ESA 1973
Canada COSEWIC 1976
International CITES 1975
11
25 of known birds
Intl Union for the Conservation of Nature and
Natural Resources
12
To protect species from extinction, Nixon signed
the ESA in 1973.
Defines
Endangered Species imminent danger of extinction
Threatened Species likely to become endangered
(at least
locally) within near future
Vulnerable Species naturally rare or locally
depleted by
human activities to a level that puts them
at risk
For vertebrates, categories include species,
subspecies, local races and ecotypes
13
ESA regulates taking - killing, harassing,
pursuing, capturing, collecting
(either accidentally or intentionally) Import/exp
orting Owning, selling, trading, shipping Apply
to live animals and products derived from
them. Violators 100,000 fines, possible 1yr
imprisonment, seizure of vehicles and
equipment used in illegal activities
1300 currently endanged/threatened 250 candidates
14
Once a species is listed under ESA USFWS
creates a Recovery Plan to restore the
population (process takes years due to
politics, battles over costs, and disputes about
species on private land ) Critical habitats
established When population rebounds, species is
removed from list, But destruction of the
habitat for the species makes this difficult to
achieve)
15
Rare and endangered species of particular
interest
Keystone species (ecologically important) ex
prairie dogs Indicator species (tied to specific
environmental conditions, used to chart
environmental health ex brook trout Umbrella
species (require large blocks of undisturbed
habitat, so saving them saves a lot of other
species) exspotted owl Flagship species
(motivate public due to appeal) ex
pandas
16
Conflict between Economic and Environmental
Interests
Public Domain
Test Case 1978 Tellico Dam Construction in
Tennessee threatens Snail Darter (an endangered
fish species) (Federal committee overrides ESA
for economic reasons.)
17
Conflict between Economic and Environmental
Interests
To save 1600-2400 spotted owls, old-growth forest
in Pacific Northwest must be preserved. Timber
Industry claims cost of leaving those forests
is 33 billion. (Conservationists claim owl is
an umbrella species.)
18
Conflict between Economic and Environmental
Interests
Private Land Issues
80 of habitat for more than half of listed
species is on private property Supreme Court
ruled that destroying the habitat for Endangered
species is tantamount to killing them Conflict
between landowners who want to develop
their despite presence of endangered species
19
Habitat Conservation Plans
Allows owners to develop land as long as the
species benefits overall Destroying some of
habitat or even taking some Endangered
organisms is permitted if other circumstances are
created that will promote proliferation 70 mill
released by Interior Dept to buy Critical
Land Safe Harbor Policies Any increase in
population resulting From voluntary good
stewardship would not affect future Liability/resp
onsibility or land-use decisions. No Surprises
Policies After agreeing to HCP, property
owner Can never be faced with new regulations,
even if environmental or ecological conditions
changes drastically
20
Status of ESA Officially expired in
1992 General agreement that species-by-species
approach is less Effective than a whole habitat
approach Landowners want to reform (weaken) the
ESA to advance their own economic interests (Safe
Harbor, No Surprises, exceptions to critical
habitat, relaxed requirements for scientific
evaluation) Ecologists and environmentalists
want to reform to improve protection by focusing
on maintaining habitats rather than individual
species.
21

• Movement for Ecologist/ Environmentalist Reforms
• Scientists realized that populations of
  endangered species were
• higher outside of, or between reserved areas than
  within
• their bounds
• (gap analysis - conservationists and wildlife
  managers look
• For unprotected landscapes rich in species.
• A better approach to protecting biodiversity
• Protect enough habitat for a viable pop of all
  native species in region
• 2. Manage at regional scales to accommodate
  natural disturbances
• 3. Plan for a period of centuries
• 4. Allow for human use and occupancy at levels
  that do not impact
• ecology negatively

22
A political battle is currently underway over ESA
In September 2005, the House passed a bill to
reform the ESA The Bill is controversial
because It was developed and pushed forward by
Rep. Pombo, (R, Ca) who has been involved
heavily in supporting landowner rights over
environmental concerns The approval of the Bill
was strictly along partisan lines Scientists
have protested that the bill will destroy the
ability of the ESA to actually protect species
from extinction
As of last week, the Bill has been read twice by
the Senate and referred to a subcommittee for
evaluation
23
Senators Advisory Panel on Reform of the ESA

• Consider all available information on Rep.
  Pombos Reform Bill
• Designate team members to read, summarize, or
  analyze selected
• documents for discussion with general panel.
  Use internet to
• search for additional information.
• Develop a list of positive and negative aspects
  of the Bill addressing
• the parties impacted by the proposed
  changes and outlining economic
• and ecological interests
• Debate the available information as a group.
  Develop a consensus
• as to whether to advise the Senator to vote
  to accept or
• reject the Reform Bill. Final decision may
  be by majority or
• unanimous decision, as decided by the
  panel.
• Draft a letter to the Senator stating the
  recommendation of the Panel and outlining
• the reasons supporting the recommendation.
• ( Panel members disagreeing with the
  majority opinion will draft a letter
• explaining the reasons for their
  dissent.)

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Your Opinion Matters Let our PA Senators know
how you feel about the Pombo Reform Bill. A
letter to the Senator should state your name and
address, including the county in which you
reside. You should indicate the Bill number, and
your opinion on how the Senator should vote.