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- Info
Protecting natural areas in fragmented landscapes
| Author: |
Noss, Reed F. |
| Date: |
1987 |
| Periodical: |
Natural Areas Journal |
| Abstract: |
Natural areas usually are selected for protection according to the elements contained within them. A focus on content alone, however, is incomplete because the structure and use of the surrounding landscape will determine whether a "protected area" will be able to maintain the most threatened elements and allow for their continued evolution. In fragmented landscapes, few if any natural areas comprise intact ecosystems. A complementary focus on landscape context includes not only consideration of external threats (reviewed here), but also how each individual natural area combines with other landscape elements to determine regional, and ultimately, global diversity.
Although few remaining natural areas are large enough to contain natural disturbance regimes and natural community mosaics within their boundaries, or to meet the needs of wide-ranging animals, an integrated network of protected areas and buffer zones of low-intensity land use may approximate the natural pattern. Conservation networks can be designed on spatial scales ranging from townships to biomes. Restoration of wilderness ecosystems in human-dominated landscapes is a particularly challenging task but must be attempted if natural diversity is to be maintained in the long term. Examples are presented of macro-reserves and networks proposed for Florida and Ohio. |
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