An Ecological Evaluation of Proposed New Conservation Areas in Idaho: Evaluating Proposed Idaho National Parks

Abstract

sceni¢ recreational and geological re. source~ However, the biological resources that would be protected by these proposals have received relatively little conslderattort We used the U.X Fish and Wildlife Service's Gap Analysis Project databases to evaluate the vegetation types contained in each proposal The scale of analysis was an ecoregion with the proposals falling within three of six ecoregtons that encompass Idah~ Databases included vegetation type, land ownership, and land protection statu~ which were analyzed using a geographic information systent Vegetation types were used as surrogates for information on the distribution of other biological resources (L¢, biodiversity). A conservation strategy was evaluated that would preseme at least 10% of each vegetation type in an ecoregiorL Only 15% of the vegetation types in the three ecoregions were protected under this crtUriorL The four pro-Paper submttted August 24, 1992; revised manuscript acceptedJu~ 12, 1993. Una evaluaci6n ecoldgica de nuevas ireas de conservaci6n propuestas en Idaho: Evaluando parques nacionales propuestos en Idaho Resumen: Cuatro nuevas dreas en el estado de ldal~ U.S.A, hart sido propuesta~ por distintos grupos intereresados en el tera~ para ser desiMum~ como Parqu~ Nacionale~ Las cuafro dreas promedian 220.000 ha y contienen recursos bio-16gico~ escdnicog recreacionales y geol6gicos importante.~ Sin embarg~ los recursos btol6g~cos que sedan protegldos por esas propuestas ban recibldo poca atenct6tt Nosotros usamos la base de datos del "Gap Analysis Project" del "U.£ Fish and Wildlife Services" para evaluar los tipos de vegeta-ci6n contenidos en cada propuestct La escala de andlisis fue la de eco-regi6n con las propuestas contenidas en tres de las seis eco-regiones que abarcan Idaho. La base de datos incluyd tipos de vegetact6~ tenencta de tterras y el estado de protecct6n de los tlerrag tales datos fueron analizados usando sistemas de informaci(m geogrdflco.~ Los tipos de vegetaci6n fueron usados como substttutos de informaci6n sobre la distribuci6n de otros recursos bioldgicos (ge, biodiversidad). Se evalu6 una estrategia de cons~6n que pres~ por lo menos el 10% de cada ttpo de vegetaci6n en cada ecoregi6rt S6lo el 15% de los tipos de vegetacidn en 207 208 Proposed Idaho National Parks Wrisht et al.posals added little to this figure because 67-78% of the veg. etation types found in the proposals were already protected elsewhere in each ecoregiorL Between 16--30% of the land areas in the proposals provided protection for vegetation types that were prevtously unprotected We increased the size of each proposal by including vegetation types in a 15 km zone around each proposal in an attempt to enhance pro. tectiorL None of the proposals could be feasibly modified to reach the 10% protection goal for all of the vegetation typeg Howev~, the protection provided by each proposal could be enhanced to varying degrees with the addition of relatively few hectares to their land are~z Although national parks throughout the world play an import...

Sampling of land types by protected areas: three measures of effectiveness applied to western New South Wales

“…Pressey et al, 2000). There is also scope for measuring both efficiency and vulnerability bias before areas are formally protected, just as Wright et al (1994) measured the relative contribution to conservation targets of potential national parks in Idaho. This gives decision-makers information to weigh against considerations such as acquisition cost, condition and reserve design.…”

“…2). This measure is effectively the same as that used by Pressey and Tully (1994) and Wright et al (1994). As in those previous studies, efficiency will decrease with increasing sampling bias due to the repeated reservation of some land systems with conservation targets already achieved.…”

“…6 reflect the balance between the two. Also, because we measured efficiency across the whole reserve system as it expanded, fluctuations were dampened at later dates due to the smaller relative effect of any given reserve area (although the same measure is applicable to individual reserves : Pressey and Tully, 1994;Wright et al, 1994). Efficiency values at any date also varied with conservation targets.…”

Policy-driven versus Evidence-based Conservation: A Review of Political Targets and Biological Needs

“…Once it was proposed, the 10 percent value became prevalent both as a policy-driven target (or a basis for other political targets, such as 12 percent) (WCED 1987, Hummel 1989, IUCN 1993, LUCO 1993 and as an analytical one (Wright et al 1994, 2001, Lombard et al 1997, Faith et al 2001, Sierra et al 2002, Andelman and Willig 2003 to define a priori what was, or was not, conserved. In nearly every instance, scientists using 10 percent as a target in analyses qualified this usage as arbitrary, capricious, minimal, and quite possibly inadequate.…”

Identifying regional landscapes for conservation planning: a case study from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

“…properly assessed for accuracy and ®tness for use in the ®eld, and thus evaluated for use in systematic conservation planning. Using more indirect methods Wright et al (1994) and Host et al (1996) also assessed the value of larger ecoregional units (e.g. Omernik, 1987) and a machine driven ecosystem classi®cation with mixed success.…”