BBBBB EEEEEE NN N ISSN 1188-603X BB B EE NNN N BBBBB EEEEE NN N N BOTANICAL BB B EE NN NN ELECTRONIC BBBBB EEEEEE NN N NEWS No. 45 October 7, 1992 Address: aceska@cue.bc.ca Victoria, B.C. ---------------------------------------------------- BIODIVERSITY IN THE MANAGED LANDSCAPE: THEORY AND PRACTICE CONFERENCE IN SACRAMENTO JULY 13-17, 1992 (PART 5) From: Evelyn Hamilton VII. SETTING OBJECTIVES AND PRIORITIES Interfacing science and conservation Paul Risser, Univ. New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM He focused on the need to set objectives. He reviewed the USFS biodiversity objectives which are: 1. to determine what species are sensitive to management ac- tivities, 2. to develop indicators, 3. to research management methods, 4. to test tools, 5. to understand ecosystem functioning, 6. to evaluate how networks can be used in high use areas. What do we need to do? 1. Insure for national coordination. 2. Expand the Pacific Northwest Gang of 4 approach: expand this process used to identify critical owl habitat to additional areas. 3. Establish rapid assessment teams and do gap analysis. 4. Conduct human settlement experiments. 5. Include private sector and NGOs in our research and manage- ment programs. 6. Conduct social science experiments where we look at social science issues, relationship to decision-making, system transformation and the need for a whole new social and in- stitutional structure. 7. Coordinate databases and inventories nationally and look at how this information is used in decision-making. VIII. MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES Strategies for conserving endemic plants Donald Falk, Center for Plant Conservation, St. Louis, MO In the US there are about 20K plants, of which 22% are threatened or endangered, with 4% facing possible extinction in 10 years. Climate change could have severe impacts on rare species. He identified the need for population biology research. Strategies for conserving rare animals Scott Derrickson, Smithsonian Institute Conservation and Research Center, Front Royal, VA In the US there are 520 endangered species, 277 are animals and 243 are plants and there are 161 threatened species, 97 are animals and 64 are plants. Recovery plans have be drafted for 382 species. Several thousand species await listing. New perspectives for conserving ecological diversity in managed landscapes Hal Salwasser, USFS, Washington, D.C. Forest ecosystem management is the new objective. The objective is to blend the needs of people and the environment to sustain diverse healthy ecosystems. Their plan involves: Regional Conservation Strategies for the recovery of large wide ranging species (e.g. Spotted Owl). 1. Identifying desired future conditions and using this in planning. These plans identify protected areas, management emphasis zones (e.g. Bridger Teton Nat. Forest), 2. Restoration at the landscape level through the reintroduction of fire (e.g. Shawnee Nat. Forest) and conserving networks of communities. Their ecosystem management guidelines specify that they will: 1. sustain diversity, 2. work with nature, 3. consider scale effects, 4. focus on desired future conditions and results, 5. coordinate strategies on common issues, 6. get people to participate, 7. integrate information, 8. adapt to change. Managing biodiversity on private lands Michael O'Connell, World Wildlife Fund The World Wildlife Funds's objectives are to maintain viable populations and natural distributions of native species and communities in regional landscapes. They do this by classifying sites in terms of their significance and establishing different objectives for each class. Modelling vertebrate habitats in Pacific Northwest forests under global change: Conceptual and methodological issues A. Hansen, OSU Corvallis, OR Their objective is to determine which species are sensitive to landscape change. They characterized landscape pattern in the W. Cascades using Landsat TM data to describe habitat structure. They used a model called Paysage which involves ZELIG - a forest stand development model and GIS Arc Info. ZELIG was used to model tree growth and establishment and mortality, based on light, temperature and soil moisture. It was used to follow snag dynamics and CWD. They used the model on a landscape level to determine stand types for each disturbance regime and topographic setting. THE END