By the mid-nineteenth century many governments had developed an interest in wildlife conservation and an awareness of the need to protect natural habitats. In 1861 painters of the Barbizon school established the first French nature reserve, which covered nearly 3,458 acres of forest at Fontainebleau. Three years later the American government set aside the Yosemite Valley in California as a Nationa…
The Endangered Species Act was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1973. It is generally considered one of the most far-reaching laws ever enacted by any nation for the preservation of wildlife. The passage of the Endangered Species Act resulted from alarm at the decline of numerous species TABLE 2.1 First list of endangered species, 1967 In accordance with section 1(c) of the Endangered Species …
In the United States' first century as a nation, the federal government owned about 80 percent of the nation's land. Beginning in 1785 the government began to survey and sell its land holdings to states, settlers, and railroad companies. By the end of the nineteenth century, the government had transferred most of its lands to private ownership. It also allowed private use of remainin…
In the 1990s there was growing concern that traditional methods of species protection, using a species-by-species approach, were ineffective. Many alternatives were proposed. One of the most popular was a method variously termed the "habitat," "ecosystem," or "community" approach. The Fish and Wildlife Service defines an ecosystem FIGURE 2.5 National …
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was established to address diverse environmental issues on an international level. Many of its conventions have been extremely valuable in protecting global biodiversity and natural resources. UNEP has also helped to regulate pollution and the use of toxic chemicals. FIGURE 2.6 National Wildlife Refuge System, 2004 TABLE 2.14 Threatened …
Although some animal lovers object to caging wild species and keeping them in unnatural enclosures, zoos play one absolutely critical role—fostering interest in animal species, biodiversity, and conservation. In fact, the majority of zoo animals are not collected from the wild but bred in captivity. For example, among U.S. zoos, 90 percent of mammals and 74 percent of birds added to zoo col…
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