Keyword: subsistence

Natural and near natural tropical forest values

This paper identifies and describes some of the values associated with tropical rain forests in their natural and near-natural conditions. Tropical rain forests are moist forests in the humid tropics where temperature and rainfall are high and the dry season is short. These closed (non-logged) and broad-leaved forests are a global resource.

Examining visitors' behavioral intentions and behaviors in a Taiwan National Park

In 2007-2008, some visitors to Taroko National Park in Taiwan were surveyed to allow testing of a behavioral prediction model in the context of national park recreation. This model includes three constructs: values (a cultural anthropology factor), perceptions of service quality (service marketing factors), and perceptions of crowding (a national park recreation factor). We obtained a sample of 1,080 visitors.

Wilderness: An unexpected second chance

The Federal Land Policy & Management Act of 1976 directed the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to inventory its lands for wilderness characteristics and to protect identified areas as "wilderness study areas" (WSAs) until acted upon by Congress. BLM conducted these inventories and studies between 1976 and 1991, finding nearly 800 areas totaling 9.6 million hectares to possess wilderness characteristics.

Planning for people? An evaluation of objectives for managing visitors at wildlife refuges in the United States

This study evaluates the quality of planning objectives for visitor services as written in Comprehensive Conservation Plans for the National Wildlife Refuge System of the United States. Planners in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are predominantly writing public use objectives that address wildlife recreation and education. Results indicate that planners are writing visitor services objectives that are achievable and results oriented.

Protecting marine parks and sanctuaries from aquatic nuisance species releases from ballast during emergency response events

Commercial shipping activities that release aquatic invasive species are recognized globally as a dominant transport vector for marine invasions. Aquatic nuisance species (ANS) introductions have resulted in billions of dollars of damages and immeasurable biological devastation within the Great Lakes.

The verification of wilderness area boundaries as part of a buffer zone demarcation process: A case study from the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site

Wilderness areas are by definition free from the sights and sounds of modern man. The boundaries of wilderness areas have traditionally been defined based on the management authorities' perceptions of which areas have wilderness quality.

The National Landscape Conservation System: A model for long term conservation of significant landscapes

The Bureau of Land Management administers over 256 million surface acres, more than any other U.S. public agency, the vast majority of which is in the western half of the United States. A land protection system was initiated in 1970 with the creation of the King Range National Conservation Area.

Protection of the wilderness and aesthetic values of Antarctica: Geographical Information Systems (GIS) as a tool

Antarctica is designated by the Antarctic Treaty System as a "natural reserve devoted to peace and science" (http://www.ats.aq/index_e.htm). Multiple, and sometimes conflicting, values are protected.

How do you know things are getting better (or not?) Assessing resource conditions in National Parks and Protected Areas

The National Parks Conservation Association’s Center for State of the Parks uses an easily explained, fact-based methodology to determine the condition of natural and cultural resources in the United States National Park System.

Climate change and ecosystem services: The contribution of and impacts on federal public lands in the United States

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (2007) reports a likely 2 °C to 4.5 °C temperature rise in the upcoming decades. This warming is likely to affect ecosystems and their ability to provide services that benefit human well-being. Ecosystem services valuation (ESV), meanwhile, has emerged as a way to recognize the economic value embodied in these services that is not currently reflected in markets.