New Perspectives for Sustainable Natural Resources Management

Abstract

The USDA Forest Service is taking a new direction in its research and management programs in response to changing views of land and natural resources. The changes reflect the complexity of society's concerns and expectations for national forest ma?agement, including biological diversity, ecological function and balance, product yields, soctal values, and the beauty and integrity of natural environments. The new direction involves a shift in management focus from sustaining yields of competing resource outputs to sustaining ecosystems. More than ever, management of public lands and resources requires knowledge about ecosystems, including relationships to human values, activities, and patterns of resource use. Also required are new roles for scientists, including closer partnerships with managers to achieve large-scale studies and adaptive management of public lands and resources.

Managed Migration of Coast Redwoods: Subjectivity of Stakeholders in Oregon’s Land Use Planning Community

“…This factor shows a high support for ideas including biological diversity, ecological function and balance, product yields, social values, and the beauty and integrity of natural environments. This perspective of utilitarian values includes a reemergence of earlier philosophical themes of maintenance of nature's balance, resource development without waste, and protection and restoration of the beauty of natural environments (Glacken, 1956) with a goal of sustaining the health, diversity, and productivity of land to serve the needs of this and future generations (Kessler, Salwasser, Cartwright, & Caplan, 1992), which were identified as high-ranking statements in Table 1. This factor also shows strong disagreement with the notions of ecological ignorance and a mechanistic, reductionist worldview, which represent the traditional values of conservatism.…”

“…This factor also shows strong disagreement with the notions of ecological ignorance and a mechanistic, reductionist worldview, which represent the traditional values of conservatism. These values can be summarized as seeing land primarily in terms of its capability to yield desired goods, identifying factors that limit production, the major objective of management is to remove or reduce those limitations, and relationships among different resources were treated and thought of as constraints on the dominant use (Kessler et al, 1992), all of which were identified in low ranking statements in Table 1.…”

“…This factor also shows strong disagreement with the statements of multiple use resource and the scientific knowledge and technology aimed at controlling land and resource access. The traditional multiple use resource access philosophy emphasizes the production of valuable commodities, such as fiber, food, water, and minerals for human use yet also recognizes that public lands provide a special setting for aesthetic, spiritual, recreational, and educational experiences (Kessler et al, 1992), which were identified in low ranking statements in Table 2. Thus, while it may seem like aberration to say that responsdents working for the State's DLCD and LCDC value communal and more localized management of land over publically accessible resource and amenity control, one must also consider that the alignment of individuals' beliefs and perspectives are relative to the statement sort of other respondents who took part in the Q sort.…”

Water Management: Collective Organization, Local Demands and Water Avalilability. A Review

“…Ostrom [29] determines that collective management strengthens consumers capacities, to achieve a sustainable management [21]. Thus, this discussion is marked by a "good governance" to promote efficiency and enhance sustainability [30]. The public policy, therefore, requires to involve the actors who participate in it [31], in this way, we try to correct the deficiencies in the management caused by the non-participatory policy [32].…”

Managing Forests as Ecosystems: A Success Story or a Challenge Ahead?

“…Recently, the value of maintaining species habitats and forest health ( e g , resistance from fire and insect outbreaks) has been reemphasized. Great strides have been made in recognizing the ecological values of forests and in communicating to public and private owners how to preserve these values (Swanson and Franklin 1992, National Research Council 1992, Salwasser 1990, Kessler et al 1992, Franklin 1989). Yet there are still gaps.…”