The Ecology and Conservation of Natural Resources

RWFM 2302, Section 004

Chapter 15

PLANT AND ANIMAL EXTINCTION

Species conservation is controversial…

“Well what good is it anyway…”

Take a look at Joe Cartoon’s Spotted Owl: http://www.joecartoon.com/pages/comicendangered/

We stand guard over works of art, but species representing the works of eons [God] are stolen from under our noses… Aldo Leopold

PLANT AND ANIMAL VALUES

vHarvest and consumption values

vRecreational and aesthetic values

wWidespread interest in nature

wAesthetics can improve quality of live

vUndiscovered and undeveloped values

wSome may have unique but undiscovered properties

vEcosystem stabilization

w“The greater number of alternative channels through which energy can flow, the greater the stability of the food web and the ecosystem”

vExamples of survival

wMay gain knowledge that could enhance our own long-term survival

vEnvironmental baseline and monitoring

wSome can be used as indicators of environmental degradation or restoration

vScientific research and educational values

wArmadillos have genetically identical quadruplets, which makes them valuable for disease research

vNonconsumptive economic values

w$500 million/year spent on bird seed in the U.S.

w$25 million/year spent on whale watching in Hawaii, California, and New England

wBird watching has a greater economic impact than the citrus industry in the Lower Rio Grande River Valley

wNonconsumptive outdoor activities bring in $87 billion/year in the U.S.

vHistorical values

wBison, Bald Eagle, Rattlesnakes, etc…

vConservation values

wExtinction is irreversible and we do not know what opportunities were lost

wThe first order of the intelligent tinkering is to save all the pieces… Aldo Leopold

EXTINCTION IS FOREVER

vExtinction is a natural process but can be accelerated on the order of millennia by human activity (intentional or unintentional)

vExtinctions (major episodes)

wOrdovician - 440 million years ago; 65-85%

wDevonian - 365 million years ago; 65-85%

wPermian - 250 million years ago; 95%

wTriasic - 210 million years ago; 65-85%

wCretaceous - 65 million years ago; 65-85%

w500 million species since life began

w90% of species have become extinct

vPossibly extinction episode underway; 1990 extinction rate of 40-100 species/day; 5 to 10 million year recovery

w30-80 million estimated now; 1/2-2/3 in tropical rain forests

w¼ of mammals face extinction within the 100 years

wAbout 12% of birds, 25% of reptiles, 20% of amphibians, and 30% of fish face a high risk of extinction in the near future

wIt is reckless to suppose that biodiversity can be diminished without threatening humanity itself

CAUSES FOR EXTINCTION

vCommercial overharvest

wPassenger pigeon, great auk, heath hen, aplomado falcon, etc…

wBig cats, rhinoceros

vExotic out compete natives

wMongoose

wFlightless birds on islands

vPest and predator control

vPollution

wBald eagle, peregrine falcon, California condor, etc…

vPet business

vLow biotic potential

wLow reproductive rates

§Polar bear; breeds every 3 years; 2 cubs

§California condor; 1 egg every other year after reaching maturity at 6 years

vNonadaptive behavior

wCrolina parakeet; one member shot, all other hover above downed bird

vHabitat destruction; habitat includes food, water, shelter, etc…

wEcological islands - remaining natural habitat fragments (habitat fragmentation); habitat patches

wSmaller the island, fewer number of species

§Can’t provide enough food for larger species

§Too few to reproduce (colonial nesting species)

§Inbreeding in small populations

vLoss of important ecosystem processes (fire, predation, etc…)

vSpecialization

wSpecialists - narrow requirements for reproduction and survival

§Kirtland’s warbler; only 400 left

♠Limited to breeding in jack pine trees 6-15 years old; 6-20 feet tall  (area of 85 by 100 miles)

♠Forest fires control size of trees

♠Migrates to Caribbean; loosing habitat there as well

§Panda, Red-cockaded woodpecker, Golden-checked warbler, etc…

wGeneralists - occupy wide variety of habitats and eat various foods

§Coyote - foods = rabbits, mice, water melons, mesquite beans, insects, etc…

EXTINCTION PREVENTION

vZoo-botanical garden approach (individual)

wLast-ditch effort

wMany do not do well in captivity

wDon’t release well into wild

wExamples only found in zoos (at one time)

§Mexican wolf, California condor; black-footed ferret

§Tiger and other big cats?

vSolution; reserves with unfragmented habitat, sufficient to support all ecosystem processes

wU.S. national parks too small; loosing biodiversity

vSpecies approach

wProblem; concentrates efforts on 1 species

§Learn habitat requirements

§Restoration of habitats

vEcosystem approach

wHabitat protection in park + buffer zones

wCorridors

wHabitat restoration

ENDANGERED SPECIES LAWS

v1966 - Endangered Species Preservation Act

v1969 - Endangered Species Conservation Act

wLed to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)

v1973 - Endangered Species Act (ESA)

wProvided for the conservation, restoration, propagation, and protection of selected species that are threatened with extinction

wAllows for the protection of species, subspecies, and populations

ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT

vEndangered Species - a species in imminent danger of going extinct throughout a significant portion of its range

vThreatened Species - a species likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout a significant portion of its range

vFederal land agencies must participate in the restoration of listed species

vPrivate landowners are not required to participate in the recovery of a listed species, but they must avoid “take”

vTake means to “…harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct…”

wUp to a $20,000 fine and 1 year in prison

vHarm includes any significant habitat modification or degradation where it actually kills or injures listed species by significantly impairing essential behavior patterns, including breeding, foraging, and sheltering

CONSERVATION INCENTIVE PROGRAMS FOR PRIVATE LANDOWNERS

vHabitat Conservation Plans (HCP)

vSafe Harbor Agreements

vCandidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances

vTexas Landowner Incentive Program (LIP)

BASELINE POPULATION

vTo enroll in conservation incentive programs landowners must determine their baseline population

vThe baseline is a measure of the population on the land at the time of the agreement:

wnumber of individuals,

wsize of the area of occupation, or

wit might be measured in length for linear habitats

HABITAT CONSERVATION PLANS

vESA was amended in 1982 to include Incidental Take Provisions:

wAllows for incidental take of a listed species provided it is mitigated by appropriate habitat conservation, maintenance, enhancement, and protection

wHabitat Conservation Planning (HCP)

§Permits otherwise lawful activities within a listed species habitat

§Adaptive management provisions and multi-species ecosystem approaches

§Marketable Mitigation Credits

§Can include candidate and proposed species and species of concern

§Allows for reduction of baseline obligations via mitigation:

♠creating recruitment habitat,

♠translocation of individuals, or

♠combination of above alternatives

§The “no surprises” guarantee

♠Provides regulatory assurances

♠USFWS cannot require the commitment or restriction of additional natural or financial resources beyond the level in the original agreement

♠The landowner, however, must honor their commitment

♠The “no surprise” rule only applies to the species covered by the HCP; further incentive to conserve more species in original planning process

HCP EXAMPLES

v379 HCPs have been approved, covering approximately 12 million ha and protecting more than 200 listed species

vPlum Creek Timber Company red-cockaded woodpecker HCP

w26 red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW) groups; 11 expected to be extirpated within 20 years due to geographic isolation

wConsolidate groups via translocation of juveniles and recruitment clusters into a 1,240 ha conservation area which already contains 15 RCW groups

wConservation area can hold up to 30 RCW groups giving Plum Creek 4 marketable mitigation credits

vPlum Creek Timber Company I-90 Corridor, Washington, HCP

wMulti-species, ecosystem approach designed to complement the Federal Northwest Forest Plan

wGrizzly bear, marbled murrelet, and gray wolf:

§Limit road density and construction and provide visual cover provisions

wNorthern spotted owl:

§Set aside old growth for nesting, roosting, foraging, and dispersing habitat

wLarch Mountain salamander:

§Special riparian and wetland area protections

wCovers approximately 69,000 ha

SAFE HARBOR AGREEMENTS

vPromote voluntary management for listed species on private lands through the use of an Enhancement of Survival Permit

vExpanded landowner participation to those which are not inhabited by a listed species

vProvides for land-use freedom, while maintaining ESA requirements

vAssures participating landowners that no additional (beyond baseline) regulatory restrictions will be imposed

vAllows landowners to make habitat improvements for listed species without fear of future restriction on land use

vEffectively freezes a landowner's ESA responsibilities at current levels

vCost-share grants (Private Stewardship Grants Program)

vWhen the agreement ends, the participating landowner may use the property in any otherwise legal manner, as long as baseline conditions are maintained

vCan include listed, candidate, and proposed species, and species of concern

vStatewide Agreements authorize individual States to implement Safe Harbor programs

SAFE HARBOR EXAMPLES

v125 Safe Harbor Agreements have been approved, covering approximately 0.5 million ha

vTexas Attwater's Prairie-Chicken Coastal Prairie Safe Harbor

w13 landowners; 18,000 ha

wBeneficial activities include prescribed burning, reestablishment of native plants, removal of exotic plants, and managing cattle grazing to benefit native vegetation

wUFWS gave program $390,000 grant to expand its cost-share and technical assistance capabilities in 1999

vThe North Carolina Sandhills red-cockaded woodpecker Safe Harbor

wFirst Safe Harbor Agreement (1995)

w56 landowners; 15,000 ha

w52 RCW groups being protected

wBeneficial activities include prescribed burning or other means of controlling hardwood understory, installing artificial cavities, and extending rotation cycles

CANDIDATE CONSERVATION AGREEMENTS

vThe participants voluntarily commit to implementing specific actions that will remove or reduce the threats to candidate species, therefore contributing to stabilizing or restoring the species so that listing is no longer necessary

vEffectively freezes a landowner's ESA responsibilities at current levels

vRequires proactive management that can significantly contribute to eliminating the need to list the species

vCost-share grants (Private Stewardship Grants Program)

vDevelopment of a umbrella agreement in Texas Panhandle for black-tailed prairie dog, lesser prairie chicken, burrowing owl, etc…

TEXAS LANDOWNER INCENTIVE PROGRAM (LIP)

vTexas LIP

vFirst state government program to offer financial incentive to private landowners; started in 1997

vVoluntary incentive program to assist private landowners in protecting and managing rare species through finical incentive

vProvide landowner an average of $25,000 to offset the cost of management activities (habitat improvements)

vIn 1997, the program was solely state funded, but now it is supplemented through cost-share between Texas and USFWS (Conservation Grants = Recovery Land Acquisition, HCP Assistance, HCP Land Acquisition)

vFree technical guidance from TPW biologists to develop management-conservation plans

vRestore native vegetation, prescribe burn, selective brush management, grazing management systems, gating caves, etc…

vFunds may also be awarded to help defer legal and consulting fees associated with the development of other conservation agreements (i.e., safe harbor)

LIP EXAMPLES

vFirst granted to a Littlefield farmer:

wConducted prescribed burns to restore prairie for lesser prairie chicken on 73 ha tract

wFour neighbors joined the program in 1998

w>485 ha of prairie being restored or protected

vBrown-headed cowbird trapping effort:

w30-county area in Central Texas

wLandowners operated traps to curtail cowbird parasitism of endangered songbird nests

wAllowed ranchers to continue grazing cattle with ESA restrictions

INTO THE FUTURE

vLandowners are becoming less fearful of the ESA and more willing to participate in endangered species conservation

vWe should carefully implement incentive programs; be careful not to undermine species recovery strategies

vProvide landowners adaptive management strategies to ensure conservation efforts are successful

vThese incentive programs are very plastic and are still evolving

vWe cannot solve the problems we have created with the same thinking that created them… Albert Einstein

Wildlife, like historic buildings and areas of scenic beauty, should be conserved because people want to maintain that resource, regardless of measurable economic benefit (Eltringham 1984).