Chapter 17: Land Use, Wildlife Habitats, and Biodiversity

Discussion Questions
Exercises
Links

Summary
Land use planning for wildlife conservation and biodiversity has taken on new meaning in recent years, with increased attention in both urban and agricultural landscapes. Landscape ecology has contributed greatly to understanding the basic building blocks and management tools for habitat protection. Habitat core patches and functional corridors can help arrest the habitat fragmentation in converted landscapes, and retain or restore wildlife habitats.

Implementation of the federal Endangered Species Act through habitat conservation planning has led to collaborative efforts to analyze and protect threatened habitats. The Natural Community Conservation Planning program in California is developing multispecies and regional ecosystem approaches. Still, much improvement is needed in conservation planning to meet complex and competing objectives of financial and implementation feasibility, scientific reliability, and stakeholder acceptability.
As interest in protecting natural areas in urban settings continues to increase, conflicts between habitat conservation and development pressures and property values will escalate. Lessons from habitat planning for listed species, especially as they are applied to multiple species in a regional context, will inform other communities wishing to enhance their urban biodiversity.

Chapter 17 Discussion questions

1. Wildlife need food, water, cover for protection and breeding, and space to roam and find these other requirements.
a. Given these habitat needs, how does urbanization impact wildlife?
b. What design elements should be included in plans for urban development to accommodate wildlife?

2. What four generic steps are involved in a process for managing sensitive land environments in urbanizing areas (e.g., urban forests, wetlands, habitats, open space)? Briefly explain each.
3
. What is meant by "urban biodiversity"? Is this a conflict in terms? How would you distinguish the issues of "urban" biodiversity from "wildland" biodiversity?

4. Habitat Conservation Plans involve the latest approach to planning for wildlife habitat protection in urbanizing areas.
a. What is the basic objective of an HCP?
b. Give four of the several elements involved in developing and implementing an HCP?

Chapter 17 Exercises:

5. Your ad in the local paper for your Environmental Planning consulting is paying off. The Chair of your local County Planning Commission emails the following statement:
"Some of our residents are concerned about the effects of agriculture and of encroaching development from neighboring counties. To my knowledge, we don’t have any endangered species, but some of the residents mentioned habitat conservation planning as something we can do to protect these areas and other wildlife areas. Can you tell me in a letter what this habitat conservation planning is, how it is done, and how it might fit our situation? By the way, do you know if we have any endangered or specially classified species, and if so can you provide a list?"
He needs a 1-page response (with attachments) quickly so you don’t have a chance to research the subject much beyond Chapter 17 materials and what you can get from the Internet.