Habitat conservation refers to the management practice of conserving and protecting natural areas. Its purpose is to prevent the loss of habitat for native species and protect the environment. While many groups place a high priority on habitat conservation, the practice is not confined to ideology or political affiliation. There are many important questions surrounding this concept and how to begin protecting it. Listed below are some considerations to keep in mind when considering habitat conservation. And, as always, stay tuned for more articles on this topic.
Critical habitat designation
A critical area of land is an area essential to the conservation of a listed species. These areas must meet certain criteria in order to be designated as critical habitat. These requirements include:
The Department of the Interior and Commerce are prohibited from designingate any land on DoD land as critical habitat. In addition, there are specific criteria that determine whether a site can be designated as critical habitat, such as its importance to a species or its population. Similarly, a proposed project may benefit a species by enhancing habitat or by buffering it from a protected area. In other words, critical habitat designation may lead to conservation benefits in the long-term.
In the US, the Department of Transportation recognizes the need to protect its ROWs and infrastructure, but it disagrees with exclusion of these areas from the list. As a result, some areas included in the overall critical habitat designation may contain impervious surfaces and manmade structures. However, these areas may contain features essential for the conservation of listed species. Moreover, because of the scale of the maps, some areas may contain manmade structures that may be a hindrance to conservation.
In the United States, federal agencies must consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service if the actions they are proposing “may” harm listed species. These restrictions are only imposed on federally-funded activities, and the agencies and landowners can amend their projects if necessary. Generally, however, federal projects will proceed as planned. The Act does not prohibit development within the critical habitat designation. Thus, federal agencies will likely continue to manage land in areas with critical habitat designation.
Recovery planning
The Endangered Species Act, passed in 1973, requires the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Interior to develop recovery plans for threatened and endangered species. Recovery plans are meant to promote conservation of species, while ensuring their long-term survival. The agencies responsible for administering the Act are the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Recovery is the process by which a species’ decline is stopped and threats neutralized, thereby ensuring long-term survival in nature.
The recovery plan includes a description of each species’ known biophysical and environmental attributes. Recovery objectives are based on these accounts. Recovery strategies are grouped into ecosystems or geographical regions. Individual species accounts are included in the appendix. Recovery actions for each species include a summary of known data, an assessment of known habitat attributes, and an outline of future research. The recovery plan also outlines recovery measures to address knowledge gaps.
The effectiveness of recovery plans depends on several factors. The revision status of the plan, the centralized database, and the number of parties involved in the plan’s drafting and implementation are all important. The more federal jurisdiction a species has, the larger its recovery team. The more parties involved in implementing recovery plans, the more likely the task will be completed. In addition, the more diverse the team is, the higher the probability of task completion. On the other hand, if less parties are involved in the process of recovery, the plan may not be effective.
Impact on migratory species
Conservation efforts to support migratory species should be based on a detailed understanding of migration. The term “migration” refers to a movement of organisms from one place to another, either seasonally or annually. Whether or not a particular animal is “migratory” depends on the exact definition. In any case, these movements may be conservation targets. For example, one of the most common types of migration in the world is bird migration.
The extent to which migratory species can survive in a given area depends on their internal mechanisms. While some species have the ability to migrate across a large area, others must move a smaller distance to find suitable habitat. Migration can help protect a particular species by providing a new, more suitable home. Whether a bird is actually “migratory” depends on its lifestyle and the type of habitat.
Although the ESA covers migratory birds, some of these animals are not protected under the ESA. NGOs working on the conservation of migratory species collaborate with other organizations and work with different taxonomically distinct species. But, a conservation-oriented organization is better able to understand species migration patterns than one focused on harvestable species. That’s because migratory species conservation is often an applied science.