1.What are the major issues in the Malpai Borderlands? What has been the role of The Nature Conservancy in the region? How did the public land management agencies in the region become involved? How have they dealt with endangered species in the region?
(short essay)
2 In the article Bark beetles as agents of change in social–ecological systems. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 16(S1), S34-S43. Summarize the outbreak drivers, stand conditions, and how to manage stand conditions for bark beetle outbreaks.
3 See reading for Week 10 “Scientific and Conservation Merits of Landscape-Scale Conservation….” Review pages 19-21 that includes the sections “Socio-Ecological Systems…”, “Boundary Organizations” and “Challenges of …” How would you summarize the most important messages of these sections?
4 Are Bison More Environmentally Friendly than Cattle? Discuss both ways they are or might be, and the ways they might not be.
5 Review pp. 151-152 and Figure 7.5-7.8 in Ecosystem Management(pdf attached) on metapopulations. First, define a source and a sink in your own words. Then, in your scenario, pick a species that exists as a metapopulation. What on your landscape do you think would be sources and sinks for the population you choose? What management actions on the scenario landscape could you take if you want to enhance the chances for survival in some of the “sinks”? What would you do if you wanted to ensure high habitat quality in the source? If you had limited resources and could only do one thing (i.e. enhance sinks or sources), which would you do and why? (short essay)
6 An assumption of “stationarity” —has underlied traditional conservation and natural resource management in America’s national parks, but will the future be like the past? if not why not, and how does the National Park Service’s proposal of RAD provide a framework for managing under conditions of continuous change? (see week 9, Part II)
(short essay)
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