Defenders' Experts
Biodiversity Basics
Biodiversity is the variety of life and its processes. In a sense, it can be likened to the fabric of life, thousands of individual threads woven into a complex tapestry across the landscape.
In Oregon, as elsewhere, that fabric has begun to fray with the wear and tear of human use. The loss of a single thread (a species or a habitat) may seem insignificant, but repeated many times over, may weaken the fabric until it rips under stress, leaving the tapestry in shreds and scraps that may never be able to be put back together again.
Why is biodiversity important to conserve?
Biodiversity is central to our quality of life. It supports natural resource industries that produce commodities such as fiber, fuel, food, and medicine, as well as recreational uses.
Biodiversity includes healthy functioning ecosystems, which provide essential ecological services such as water purification, flood control, and nutrient recycling.
Why a biodiversity project?
Moving beyond singles-species management
Natural resource policy in Oregon has been driven by single-species management issues in recent years. First it was the spotted owl, then the marbled murrelet, followed by salmon and steelhead, and now bull trout. All are emblematic of broader problems that jeopardize the health of our natural systems and the human communities that depend on them.
Conservationists and resource managers alike have grown frustrated with this kind of crisis management. But no comprehensive strategy exists to prevent species endangerment and conserve biodiversity, in part due to a lack of common understanding of the larger issues we need to confront.
Looking ahead to avoid future crises
The best way to avoid future endangered species listings is to address conservation needs before they reach the crisis stage, while populations still retain some of their natural resiliency, and land managers still have some flexibility in responding to habitat conservation needs.
Expanding the range of options
By stepping back and getting a big-picture view of the problems, resource managers can explore opportunities to address multiple objectives through their conservation strategies. Strategies that transcend boundaries of ownership and jurisdiction offer individual land owners and resource managers a broader range of options, freeing them from the narrow constraints imposed by traditional regulatory processes.
Oregon Biodiversity Project objectives:
- Compile the best available information to identify habitats and species that may be at risk;
- Identify conservation opportunities where social and economic conditions are most favorable;
- Engage a broad spectrum of interested parties in discussions about the future of Oregon's resources;
- Provide high-quality, easy-to-use products;
- Identify incentives to encourage private landowners to participate in implementing the conservation strategy.
|
|
