Aimee Weldon Living Lands Project

Manager

Living Lands ProjectDefenders of Wildlife

The Living Lands Project

Our Mission:

To support the work of local land trusts interested in conserving native wildlife and habitat diversity

Land Trusts are Essential >70% of 1.8 billion acres in private ownership

Private Land is Important

• > 65% of all Threatened and Endangered species rely on private lands

• 10% found only on private lands

Protected Lands are Insufficient

• Protected areas are:– Too small– Too fragmented– Too isolated

• Federal dollars are drying up

Land and Water Conservation Fund

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Protected Lands are Insufficient

• Protected areas are:– Too small– Too fragmented– Too isolated

• Federal dollars are drying up

• Climate Change??

Land Trusts Care about Habitat

• Total response: 135 land trusts

• Mission includes habitat: 97%

• Protect agricultural lands: 71%

• Want to increase capacity for biodiversity conservation: 89%

Land Trust Barriers

• 30% of land trusts had no staff - 60% had 2 or less

• Major Barriers– Lack of staff

– Lack of funding

– Limited expertise

– Not a priority for funders

What we Offer: Biodiversity Grants• Annual awards of up to

$10,000• Funded projects:

– Habitat restoration– Development of wildlife

monitoring and management plans

– Community forums– Carbon sequestration and

working forest easement models

Teton Regional Land Trust restoration project

Nisqually Land Trust protection project

What we Offer: Capacity Building and Training Opportunities

• Workshops– Biodiversity Track at Rally– Regional conferences

• Chesapeake Bay watershed opportunity

• Funding expertise• Educational resources:www.defenders.org/livinglands

What we Offer: Wildlife Volunteer Corps

Questions?Contact:Aimee WeldonLiving Lands Project ManagerDefenders of Wildlifeaweldon@defenders.org

What’s Biodiversity Got to Do With It?

Bruce A. Stein

Biodiversity for Dummies WorkshopLand Trust Alliance RallySeptember 20, 2008

Biodiversity

Life on Earth

Levels of Biodiversity

Ecosystems

Species

Genes

Components of Biodiversity

n Compositionq The different types of things (e.g., species,

communities, genes)n “diversity” or richness (number of different things)

n Structureq Physical patterns (e.g., forests, grasslands)

n Function q Processes, both ecological and evolutionaryn fire, flooding, gene flow, etc.n “you can't hug a biogeochemical cycle"

Etymology (not entomology – that’s bugs)

n Shortened from “biological diversity”

n First use of “biodiversity” attributed to EO Wilson as part of 1986 conference hosted by National Research Council

n Rapid adoption, particularly post Earth Summit (1992)q ...but grandmothers universally have no clue what

it means!

Definitions

n No universally adopted definitionn Convention on Biological Diversity

q “. . . the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.”

n My working definitionq the variety and variability of life on Earth, from

genes to ecosystems, together with the ecological and evolutionary processes that sustain it.

q or, most simply: The variety of life on Earth

Other Commonly Used Terms(some interchangeable, some not)

n Wildlife

n Fish and Wildlife

n Plants and Animals

n Species and Ecosystems

n Habitats

n Nature

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How are U.S. Species Faring?Endangered Species Act Listings

1,310 U.S. species listed (2/07) under ESA566 animals and 744 plants

Source: USFWS TES database

NatureServe Status of U.S. Species

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Birds

Mammals

Butterflies/ Skippers

Reptiles

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Tiger Beetles

Ferns/Fern Allies

Gymnosperms

Flowering Plants

Freshwater Fishes

Amphibians

Crayfish

Freshwater Mussels

Vulnerable (G3)

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Presumed/Possibly Extinct (GX/GH)

Source: Stein et al. 2000Analysis includes 20,897 species.

State Patterns of Diversity and Risk

Diversity Risk(% GX-G3)

Extinction

Percent of land area of 6-digit HUCs as a function of reduction in native fish diversity

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10-24%25-49%

≥ 50%N/A (fishless)

Declines in Native Fish

Key Threats to Biodiversity

n Habitat Loss

n Invasive species

n Altered ecosystem functionsq fire regimesq hydrologic flows

n Emerging diseases

n Climate change

Sea Level Rise

n Atlantic and Gulf sea level rose 5-6 inches in last century

n IPCC estimates from .6 to 2 feet rise in next century

n Other studies suggest possibility of rises of 5 feet or more

Habitat Shifts

n Change in habitat suitability for different forests by late century

n Species will move (or not) at varying rates; not as entire communities

Source: Union of Concerned Scientists

Ecosystem Services: A New Paradigm for Valuing Biodiversity

Photo: Flickr (CarbonNYC)

New Products and Technologies

Risk Reduction

Hurricane Katrina

Bolivar Penninsula, Texas before and after Hurricane Ike

Ecosystem Services

n Supporting Servicesq Nutrient cycling, soil formation, primary productivity

n Provisioning Servicesq Food, fiber, fresh water, biochemicals

n Regulating Servicesq Pollination, hazard reduction, water regulation and

purification, climate regulation

n Cultural Servicesq Aesthetic and spiritual values, recreation