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Community-Based Ecological Stewardship: A Concept for Productive Harmony on the Public Lands of the Western United States

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Abstract

Productive harmony and ecosystem management were introduced to public land management through law and policy over the last 40 years. Neither has been successfully implemented over large areas. The challenges are complex and varied, but ultimately come down to social and political factors that either have not been considered, or if they have, resolved. Challenges faced by agencies are examined, and a new process proposed that fundamentally tests the status quo, socially, scientifically, and institutionally. It would empower people to find solutions, using science as a foundation, while adhering to principles of good governance. The process may have broader application than just public lands.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Paul Hawken, The Ecology of Commerce.

  2. 2.

    Although the author’s own, this definition contains many of the essential components of ecosystem integrity identified by others (ref. De Leo, G. A., and S. Levin. 1997; The multifaceted aspects of ecosystem integrity).

  3. 3.

    Fracking is the process of pumping millions of gallons of water or chemicals into the ground to help extract natural gas. The pressure causes the ground to fracture, releasing natural gases.

  4. 4.

    Ecoregions cover relatively larger areas of land that supports geographically and ecologically distinct assemblages of animal and plant communities.

  5. 5.

    There are ecosystems so dominated by exotic, invasive plant species, or compromised in other ways, that it is doubtful they could ever restore themselves without additional human inputs.

  6. 6.

    The harvest of a biological resource (e.g., forage, timber, fish) under management prescriptions designed to ensure regeneration before another harvest occurs.

  7. 7.

    E.O. 13352.

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Correspondence to Gary McVicker .

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© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

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McVicker, G. (2012). Community-Based Ecological Stewardship: A Concept for Productive Harmony on the Public Lands of the Western United States. In: Karl, H., Scarlett, L., Vargas-Moreno, J., Flaxman, M. (eds) Restoring Lands - Coordinating Science, Politics and Action. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2549-2_17

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