Historical variability in ecosystem management

Abstract

As frontiers closed in North America’swildlands during the late 20th Century,ecosystem management emerged as theguiding principle for many public landmanagingagencies. Mandates shiftedfrom emphasis on resource extraction(timber, water, minerals) to ecosystemprotection, and the concept of ecologicalsustainability became central. Themission statements of the U.S. ForestService, Bureau of Land Management,U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serivce, and U.S.National Park Service, for example,herald ecosystem sustainability – maintainingcomposition, structure, and processof a system – as key policy goals.Similarly, many conservation programsand non-governmental organizationssuch as The Nature Conservancy andThe Wilderness Society embrace sustainabilityas a scientifi c foundation toconservation planning

Keywords

ecosystem management, conservation planning

Citation

Millar, C.I.; Woolfenden, W.B. 2000. Historical variability in ecosystem management. Past Global Changes 8(3): 2-4.