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After taking note of high-diversity areas and species at greatest risk of extinction, park designers must consider
other factors before designating a protected area. It is always important to monitor human use of forest lands
before the designation of a national park. The presence of trails, the location of current and predicted human
settlement, and land and resource use are all consequential in determining whether the forest land is suitable
for protection. If local people are unhappy with restricted access to parklands, chances are they will not respect
park boundaries. Along these same lines, planners generally attempt to measure the economic potential of natural
forest management of the area as an alternative to deforestation. Also of great importance is the spatial distribution
and quality of habitat, Clearly, when given a choice between degraded and natural habitat, it is better to protect
the higher-quality area. Researchers also look at species distributions when determining what areas to declare
off-limits.
TYPES OF PROTECTED AREA
Studies of isolated forest reserves have shown (Lovejoy experiment, Barro Colorado Island, and others) that it will
not be possible to conserve all or even some of their species diversity, genetic resources, and ecological processes.
Thus, new approaches to linking protected areas to surrounding lands (buffer zones) are required. Land management
must not be only planned for the reserve, but also the land surrounding it. If the land around a reserve is stripped,
locals will have no choice but to seek out game, fuelwood, and more fertile soils in the reserve. Therefore it
is quintessential for protected areas to accommodate the local populations. The best approach for accommodation
is to design and manage a range of protected areas, known as a multipleuse reserve.
A multiple-use reserve consists of several zones with varying degree of human occupation. The outermost zones,
known as buffer zones, are areas to be used sustainably by the inhabitants. Here they can practice sustainable
harvesting of fuelwood, animals, and native plants and even practice a degree of small-scale agriculture. The outermost
zone could be the site of commercial activities like low-impact logging. The area beyond the buffer zone could
serve as the site of reforestation projects with seeds and seedlings provided from the reserve. Eventually the
outer regions would again support forest and the expanded area could be used for further sustainable practices.
The inner zones could be set aside for indigenous peoples, who could continue their traditional way of life, without
interference from outsiders. Also in this zone could be an area for forest-friendly eco-tourism with indigenous
peoples (if they so desired) serving as guides. The core area should have access restricted to all but research
scientists and could serve as the base for forest study. The core area would only make up a small portion of the
total protected area, but be placed so as to protect the forest "hot-spots."
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) has devised eight
categories of protected area, in order to protect biodiversity,
yet contribute to sustainable development. These follow a structure like the one mentioned above with buffer zones
around the park slated for partial development and two small, strictly protected categories (I and II) set aside
for research only. Such a core area is exemplified by Manu National Park in the Manu Biosphere Reserve which serves as a reserve base for scientists and as a storehouse for information on the rich biodiversity
of the Amazon Basin. In the surrounding buffer zones are areas for tourist activities and local use.
Tropical deforestation is 'one of the worst crises since we came out of our caves'
(5/15/2008) Speaking at the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week in Vietnam, keystone speaker Dr. Norman Myers stated: "I'm going to give you my bottom-line message right now, up front, this is a super crisis that we are facing, it's an appalling crisis, it's one of the worst crises since we came out of our caves 10,000 years ago. I'm referring of course to elimination of tropical forests and of their millions of species."
U.S. climate policy could help save rainforests
(5/14/2008) U.S. policy measures to fight global warming could help protect disappearing rainforests, says the founding partner of an "avoided deforestation" policy group. In an interview with mongabay.com, Jeff Horowitz of the Berkeley-based Avoided Deforestation Partners argues that U.S. policy initiatives could serve as a catalyst for the emergence and growth of a carbon credits market for forest conservation. REDD or Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation is a proposed policy mechanism that would compensate tropical countries for safeguarding their forests. Because deforestation accounts for around a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions, efforts to reduce deforestation can help fight climate change. Forest protection also offers ancillary benefits like the preservation of ecosystem services, biodiversity, and a homeland for indigenous people.
