Transcript Document
Land and Water Use
Topics
Rangeland
Urban Land Development
Public and Federal Lands
Mining
Fishing
Global Economics
Rangeland
Rangeland
Vast natural
landscapes with
different vegetation
including tall and
short grasslands,
chaparral, scrubland,
woodlands, and
wetlands
Covered in natural
vegetation and often
used as grazing lands
Rangelands
Rangelands are about 40% of the land in the US
Nearly 80% of the land in the west
Only 7% on the east coast
Value of Rangelands
Source of grazing for livestock and wildlife
Low input, fully renewable food production
Source of high quality water, clean air, and
open space
Setting for recreation
Fishing, hunting, camping, hiking, nature
experiences
Used for agriculture, mining, and living
communities
Habitat for many game and non-game
animals
Habitat for diverse array of natural plants
Overgrazing
Occurs when plants are exposed for too
long without sufficient recovery periods.
Plants that are overgrazed lose their
stored energy and die
Root dieback can add nutrients to the soil and
improve water retention
Plants are over grazed when it is regrazed
before the roots recover
Overgrazing slows root growth by 90%
Consequence of overgrazing
Pastures are less productive
Soils have less organic matter and are less
fertile
Soil porosity is decreased
Infiltration and moisture holding capacity
of the soil drops
Desired plants become stressed and
weedier species thrive
Biodiversity decreases by reducing native
vegetation
Consequence of overgrazing
Erosion can occur
Riparian (river banks, stream beds) can
be destroyed and increase silting
Eutrophication due to cattle waste
Balance of ecosystem is threatened
through predator control programs
Diseases can thrive
Sustainability of the land is threatened
Desertification
Conversion of marginal rangeland or
cropland to more desert type land
Caused by:
Overgrazing
Soil erosion
Prolonged drought
Climate change
Steps of desertification
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Overgrazing results in animals eating all
available plant life
Rain washes away trampled soil
Wells, springs, and other water sources dry up
Remaining vegetation dies or is taken for
firewood
Weeds unsuitable to grazing take over
Ground becomes unsuitable for seed
germination
Winds and dry heat blow away the topsoil
Federal Rangeland Management
Jurisdiction through Forest Service and
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Before 1995: policies determined by
rancher advisory boards
After 1995: resource advisory council was
formed by member of many groups with
many interests
40% of federal grazing permits are owned
by 3% (~2000) of all livestock operators
True cost =~$10 - $20 per animal per day
Methods of rangeland management
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Controlling the number and distribution
of livestock so that the carrying capacity
is not exceeded
Restoring degraded rangeland
Moving livestock from one area to
another to allow the rangeland to recover
Fencing off riparian areas to reduce
damage to these sensitive areas
Suppressing the growth of invasive plant
species
Methods of rangeland management
6.
7.
8.
Replanting barren rangeland with native
grass seed to reduce soil erosion
Providing supplemental feed at selected
sites
Locating water holes, water tanks, and
salt blocks at strategic points that do not
degrade the environment
Conservation concerns
Land administered by the BLM is inhabited
by 219 species of wildlife
Livestock grazing is the fifth rated threat
to endangered plant species, fourth
leading threat to endangered wildlife, and
number one threat to endangered species
in arid regions
Urban Land Development
Planned Development
In US
Use:
76 million residential buildings
5 million commercial buildings
1/3 of the energy
2/3 of the electricity
Energy needs
½ of sulfur dioxide
1/4 of nitrous oxide
1/3 of carbon dioxide
Green buildings and cities
Focus on systems approach
Include:
Energy conservation through government and
private rebates, tax incentives, and other lesspolluting forms of energy
Resource-efficient building techniques and
materials
Indoor air quality
Water conservation through use of xeriscaping
Designs that minimize waste while utilizing
recycled materials
Green buildings and cities
Include:
Placing buildings whenever possible near public
transportation hubs that use a multitude of
venues such as light rail, subways, and park
and rides
Creating environments that are pedestrian
friendly by incorporating parks, green-belts,
and shopping areas in accessible areas
Preserving historical and cultural aspects of the
community while at the same time blending
into natural feeling and aesthetics of a
community
Suburban sprawl and urbanization
Urbanization = the movement of people form
rural areas to cities and the changes that
accompany it
Greatest urbanization in Asia and Africa
Reasons for the move:
Access to jobs
Easier access to health care
Mechanization of agriculture
Access to education
Nations with most rapid increase in urbanization
are those with the most rapid economic growth
Pros of urbanization
Uses less land – less
impact on the
environment
Better education
delivery system
Mass transit systems
reduce reliance on
fossil fuels – shorter
commute
Better sanitation
Recycling systems are
more efficient
Large numbers of
people generate
higher tax revenues
Urban areas attract
industry due to
availability of raw
materials, distribution
networks, customers,
and labor pool
Much pollution comes
from point sources –
enables focused
remediation
techniques
Cons of urbanization
More concentrated
impact on the land
Overcrowded schools
Commuting times are
longer because
infrastructure cannot
keep up with growth
Sanitiation systems
have greater volumes
of waste to deal with
Solid-waste build up is
more pronounced –
landfill space is scarce
and costly
Large number of poor
strain social services –
wealthier people move
to suburbs and
decreases the tax
base
High population
densities lead to
higher crime rates
Population increase
may be greater than
job growth rate
Pollution levels are
high
Transportation and Infrastructure
Transportation can be via roadways or
water channels
Areas without transportation infrastructure
suffer ecosystem impacts
Degraded environment due to off-roading
People take multiple paths through the
environment instead of just one
Federal Highway System
~160,000 miles of roadway important to
nations economy, defense, and mobility
Receive federal funding but are owned,
built, and operated by the states
Taxes
18 cents/ gallon of gas
25 cents/ gallon of diesel
Tax on heavy vehicles
Federal Highway System Continued
Serves all major US cities
Interstates go through downtown areas
and facilitate urban sprawl
Virtually all goods and services go involve
the highways system at some point in
time
Impact of an efficient and well
maintained highways system
Less pollution: less stop and go traffic = less
pollution
Reduced green house gasses: reduced congestion
= less greenhouse gas emissions
Improve fuel economy and reduce dependence
on foreign oil: fueled economy (mpg) is reduced
in traffic
Modest improvements would save 1 billion gallons of
fuel each year
Improve the economy: interstates return $6 for
every $1 invested
Improve the quality of life: allow products to be
distributed more efficiently
Canals and Channels
Channel (straight) –
narrow body of water
that connect two
larger bodies of water
Can be natural or
constructed
Need dredging because
of silting
Channels
Channels frequented by ships are
maintained by the Department of the
Interior
Monitored and policed by the Coast Guard
Smaller channels are maintained by state
and local governments
Suez Canal
163 mile canal
connect the Red
Sea and the
Mediterranean
Allows water
transport between
Europe and Asia
without going
around Africa
8% of the world’s
shipping goes
through the Suez
Canal
Panama Canal
48 mile canal
connecting the Pacific
Ocean with the
Atlantic
Allows water transport
without going around
South America
Lake Gatun
An artificial lake created to help traffic on
the Panama Canal
Deforestation has lead to rapid run off of
rain and erosion of the slopes
The lake needs to be dredged to maintain its
depth
Shortfall in the dry season threatens the lake’s
capacity
Roadless Areas and Ecosystem Impact
Roadless areas are a haven for fish and
wildlife interior species that have suffered
habitat loss in other areas
Provide habitat to 1600+ threatened or
endangered species
Protects watersheds
Roadless rule protects 60 million acres or
31% of National Forest systems – 2% of
total land area
Public and Federal Lands
Management – BLM
Manages:
1/8 of the United States (262 million acres)
300 million acres of subsurface mining
resources
Wildlife management and preservation on 400
million acres
Mostly in western US and Alaska
Grasslands, forests, high mountains, arctic
tundra, deserts
Resources: energy, mineral, timber, forage,
wild horse and burro populations, fish and
wildlife habitats, wilderness, areas,
archeological, paleontological, and historical
sites
National Parks
World wide: over 1,100
Most do not receive protection from poachers, loggers,
miners, and farmers due to cost involved
U.S. National Parks
84 million acres (4 million in private
ownership)
Threatened by:
large numbers of visitors
Congestion
eroded trails
noise pollution
pollution from autos and visitors
introduction of invasive species
off road vehicles
commercial activities
Solution to national park issues
Reducing amount of private land within national
parks
Providing education programs to the public
Setting quotas on attendance through advanced
reservation
Adopting a fee that covers costs
Banning off-road vehicles
Banning autos and providing buses to control traffic
Providing tax incentives to property owners near
parks to use land grants
Conducting periodic and detailed wildlife and plant
inventories
Laws relevant to national parks
Wilderness act (1964)
Wild and scenic rivers act (1968)
Food Security Act (1985): a.k.a
“Swampbuster” contains provisions to
discourage the conversion of wetlands into
non-wetland areas. Also created system
for farmers to regain lost federal benefits
if they restore converted wetlands.
Wildlife Refuges
1st: Pelican Island, 4-acres off the coast of
Florida in 1903 to protect breeding birds
First created to protect wildlife that was
over hunted
Bison, birds
System developed piecemeal in response
to wildlife crisis
National Wildlife Refuge
Consists of:
547 refuges
93+ million acres
Managed by Fish and Wildlife Service
Wetlands
Areas that are covered
by water and support
plants that can grow
in water-saturated soil
High plant productivity
Support rich diversity
of animal life
Countries with most:
Canada
Russian Federation
Brazil
Value of wetlands
Natural water purification systems
Stabilize shorelines and reduce damage by
storm surges
Reduce the risk of flooding
Reduce salt water intrusion
Habitat for many species during all or part
of their life cycle
Types of Wetlands
Fen
Has a continuous source of ground water rich
in magnesium and calcium (alkaline or basic)
Water is from glacial deposits
Ground is impermeable to water so water sits
on the surface
Bog
Accumulates acidic peat
In cold and temperate climates
Low in nutrients and highly acidic
Carnivorous plants adapted
Habitat Loss
In US, wetlands used to cover 10% of the
land; now they only cover 5%
Most in Louisiana and Florida
90% of habitat loss is due to conversion to
agriculture or urban development
1/3 of all endangered species in US spend
part of their life in a wetland
Wilderness areas
Wild or primitive portions of national
forests, parks, and wildlife refuges where
little to no human activity occurs
Wilderness Act created National
Wilderness Preservation System
Encompasses a wide variety of
ecosystems throughout the country