Date:Mon, 29 Jan 2007 12:54:03 -0500
Reply-To:ELI Wetlands Program <[log in to unmask]>
Sender:Biological Conservation and GIS <[log in to unmask]>
From:ELI Wetlands Program <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:Open Space Programs Should Protect Wildlife Through Strategic
Land Acquisition
Content-Type:multipart/alternative;
January 29, 2007
Open Space Programs Should Protect Wildlife Through Strategic Land
Acquisition
The Environmental Law Institute announces the publication of "The Nature of
Open Space Programs: Linking Land Protection and Biodiversity." ELI policy
analyst Roxanne Thomas recommends strategies for open space programs that
would increase protection of wildlife and habitat by targeting lands with
high biodiversity value for acquisition.
The greatest threats to wildlife and biodiversity in the United States are
habitat destruction, degradation, and fragmentation. Purchasing land
outright or protecting it through the acquisition of a conservation easement
ensures the protection of lands important for habitat. Thomas' report
stresses that which lands are conserved is also important for combating
corrosive effects of habitat destruction, degradation, and fragmentation.
Programs must balance the need to acquire as much land as quickly as
possible with the need to strategically obtain land valuable for maintaining
ecosystems and providing healthy habitat for native species. Setting
priorities for acquisition maximizes the conservation benefit of each dollar
spent.
The report reviews 28 major state open space protection programs. Together,
these programs contribute an average of more than $700 million annually in
21 states to land protection for the purpose of biodiversity and wildlife
conservation. Thomas examines their legal authority to give priority to
acquiring lands with high biodiversity value. The report also proposes
strategies to improve the effectiveness of these programs in supporting
biodiversity conservation. "States are in a great position to use their
open space programs to increase protection of their natural heritage,"
Thomas states. "Moreover, these recommendations apply not only to state open
space programs but to any land conservation program seeking to enhance its
efforts to conserve biodiversity and wildlife habitat."
Thomas finds that the majority of open space programs have both the
authority to prioritize their acquisitions and a variety of tools and
opportunities available to help meet conservation goals effectively and
efficiently.
The report makes the following recommendations:
-Open space programs, particularly those that have not previously utilized
biological data or inventories, should adopt effective prioritization
strategies and draw upon existing data resources in order to identify and
prioritize lands of biological significance. In 2005, all 50 states and 6
territories completed wildlife action plans, which contain a tremendous
amount of wildlife and habitat information. Open space programs should use
the wildlife action plans to identify and prioritize lands of biological
significance.
-Open space programs should bolster their conservation impact by
strengthening their authority to prioritize lands based on biological and
wildlife habitat values. Recent increases in the public's focus on wildlife
may provide support for acquiring such authority.
-Open space programs should leverage conservation dollars by building
partnerships with other programs, both those that have similar purposes and
those environmental groups, such as watershed councils, that have an
ancillary focus on wildlife habitat or biodiversity conservation.
States are investing in the conservation of open space to protect wildlife
habitat and biodiversity. The report concludes that if they are equipped
with sufficient information and resources, they can be well-positioned to
make better land protection decisions and to maximize the conservation
benefits that result from each dollar spent.
Thomas' report is a publication of the Environmental Law Institute and is
available for free online at
http://www.elistore.org/reports_detail.asp?ID=11190. For further
information about the report or Ms. Thomas' research, contact her directly
at (202)939-3827 or [log in to unmask] Individual summaries of the state
programs examined in this study are available on ELI's website at:
http://www2.eli.org/research/openspace.htm.
###
The Environmental Law InstituteR is an independent, non-profit research and
educational organization based in Washington, DC. The Institute serves the
environmental profession in business, government, the private bar, public
interest organizations, academia, and the press. For further information
from the Environmental Law Institute, please contact Sarah Bermingham at
(202)939-3836 or [log in to unmask] To order publications in hard copy,
contact Linda Ellis at (202)939-3246.
Environmental Law Institute
2000 L St. NW Suite 620
Washington, DC 20036
www.eli.org
************************
CONSGIS LISTSERV
To unsubscribe send to
[log in to unmask]
this email message
SIGNOFF CONSGIS
Questions? Contact
Pete August, [log in to unmask]
*************************
