Land Use

Uses of Land

• Agriculture

• Housing

• Recreation

• Industry

• Mining

• Waste disposal

Negative Consequences of Land Use

• Deforestation

• Extensive logging leads to mudslides

• Changes to landscape are biggest cause of species extinction (decrease in biodiversity)

• Overuse of farmland leads to soil degradation and water pollution

• Paving over land reroutes runoff

Why do we value land?

• Food

• Shelter

• Natural resources

How do we regulate private and public land use?

• Laws

• Regulations

Tragedy of the Commons

• Tendency of a shared, limited resource to become depleted because people act from self interest for short term gain

Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY)

• Maximum amount that can be harvested without compromising the future availability

• Maximum harvest that will be adequately replaced by population growth

How do we classify public lands?

• International (UN 6 categories of protected public land) – National Parks – Managed Resource Protected Areas– Habitat/Species Management Areas– Strict Nature Preserves and Wilderness Areas– Protected Landscapes and Seascapes– National Monuments

In the United States

• Public land may be owned by federal, state or local governments– 42% of the land in the US is publicly held – Federal government owns 25% (240 million hectares,

600 million acres)

• Classifications of Public Lands– Rangelands– National Forests – National Parks– National Wildlife Refuge– Wilderness Areas

How do we manage public lands?(Federal government)

• BLM responsible for: – 262 million acres of land (1/8 of US)– 300 million acres of subsurface mineral resources– 400 million acres of wildlife management and

preservation – most located in western US (including Alaska) – common ecosystems: grasslands, forests, high

mountains, arctic tundra and deserts– resources they maintain: energy, minerals, timber,

forage, wild horse, burro, fish, wildlife habitat, wilderness areas, archaeological, paleontological and historical sites

National ParksThreatened by: • High demand by large

numbers of visitors• Eroded trails • Noise that disrupts wildlife• Pollution from cars and visitors• Off road vehicles• Introduction of invasive

species• Commercial activities- logging,

mining, livestock grazing, urban development

Solutions:• Reduce amount of private land

using incentives to current owners

• Provide education programs to the public

• Set quotas for attendance (advanced reservations)

• Adopt a fee system • Ban off-road vehicles• Ban cars (provide shuttle

buses) • Provide tax incentives to

property owners near national parks

• Conduct periodic inventories of wildlife and plant life

Wildlife Refuges

• 1st Refuge- Pelican Island, 1903- off coast of Florida (Teddy Roosevelt)

• Established to protect wildlife from overhunting (bison, birds- egret and waterfowl)

• System is made up of 547 refuges (93 million acres) and is managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service

Wetlands

• Areas covered by water and support plants that can grow in water saturated soil

• Biodiversity is rich because system is highly productive

• Countries with Wetlands: Canada, Russia, Siberia, Brazil

• US: 10% of land area has been reduced to 5% (mostly Florida and Louisiana)

Importance: • Home to wide variety of

species- 1/3 of all endangered species in the US spend part of their life in a wetland

• Serve as natural water purification system- removes sediments, nutrients and toxins

• Stabilize shorelines• Reduce damage caused

by storm surges• Reduce risk of flooding • Reduce saltwater

intrusion

How are we loosing wetlands?

• Conversion of land to agriculture

• Urbanization

Land Use and Federal Agencies

• Four agencies manage 95% of all federal lands: – Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

• multiple use- grazing, mining timber harvesting and recreation

– United States Forest Service (USFS) • multiple use- timber harvesting, grazing and recreation

– National Park Service (NPS)• multiple use- recreation and conservation

– Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) • wildlife conservation, hunting and recreation

• Resource Conservation Ethic- states that people should maximize use based on the greatest good for everyone– meaning that areas are preserved and managed for

economic, scientific recreational, and aesthetic purposes

• Multiple-use lands- land that has been classified by the government to be used for recreation, grazing, timber harvesting and mineral extraction; others are designated as protected lands in order to maintain a watershed, preserve wildlife, fish populations and maintain sites of scenic, scientific and historical value

Specific Issues Involved with Management of Public Lands

RANGELANDS

Rangelands Characteristics

• dry, open grasslands

• most common use is cattle grazing

• semi-arid ecosystems

• susceptible to fires

Purposes of Rangelands

• Habitat for a wide array of game and nongame animal species

• Habitat for a diverse and wide array of native plant species

• Source of high-quality water, clean air and open spaces

• Setting for recreational hiking, camping, fishing, hunting and nature experiences

• Foundation for low-input, fully renewable food production systems for the cattle industry

Rangelands in US

• 40% of Landmass of the United States

• Dominant type of land in arid and semiarid regions

• Western US 80% of land

• Eastern US % of land

Rangelands Environmental Issues

• Overgrazing- Occurs when plants are exposed to grazing for too long without sufficient recovery

• Desertification- conversion of marginal rangeland or cropland to more desert-like land type – Caused by: overgrazing, soil erosion,

prolonged drought, or climate changes

Overgrazing Consequences

• Pastures are less productive • Soils have less organic matter- less fertile• Decrease in soil porosity • Infiltration and holding capacity drops • Soil compaction increases• Desirable plants become stressed• Aquatic environments are negatively impacted

(eutrophication increases) • Predator-prey relationships are affected• Increases incidences if disease in native plants • Sustainability is threatened