|
2008 Federal Duck Stamp Contest U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
Training | Planning | Grants | Glossary | What is an Ecosystem? | About Us![]()
Great Lakes/Big Rivers Ecosystems | Wetland | Savanna | Tallgrass Prairie | Forest | Karst
Ecosystem Conservation
"A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends to do otherwise."
Aldo Leopold
In Theory
-
Conserving ecosystem integrity, while maintaining sustainable levels of human use.
-
Establishing common goals with stakeholders in ecologically defined areas.
-
Adaptive management.
Ecosystem conservation incorporates the following principles:
-
economic sustainability and societal well-being depend on healthy ecosystems.
-
consideration and incorporation of environmental and socioeconomic factors.
-
decisions are based on the best available science and data.
-
conserving fish and wildlife is addressed at
varying scales. -
recognition that the dynamics and resiliency of ecosystems vary.
-
emphasize prevention over mitigation or restoration.
-
involvement of all stakeholders in achieving desired results.
-
adopt an interdisciplinary, coordinated approach.
-
practice flexibility and innovation.
-
practice adaptive management, based on monitoring and readjustment.
-
consider information from all organizational levels, delegating decisions to the lowest levels, and giving employees maximum possible authority.

