Ecosystem Management, Protection and Restoration

Summary

Our natural resource systems provide our state with aesthetic beauty and open space. Massachusetts also relies on its forests, soils, waters, and scenic landscapes to provide employment, income, natural resource products, recreational opportunities; tourism and ecosystem services that meet its citizens' needs and drive its local economies. In addition, healthy ecosystems provide many additional benefits that can be difficult to measure such as climate regulation, nutrient cycling, biodiversity, and the maintenance of environmental quality.

Protection of biodiversity-the sum total of living organisms and the ecosystems that support them-is increasingly being viewed as both an ethical and economic imperative. Because we know so little about the myriad ecological connections that organize ecosystems into self-sustaining entities, maintaining and restoring the ecological integrity of ecosystems is an essential component of natural resource conservation. With increasing sprawl type of development, ecosystems are threatened by conversion, degradation, and fragmentation. The protection and restoration of natural systems and an ecosystems approach to resource management are essential for sustainable human societies.

Situation & Priorities

There is a need for greater understanding of the potential threats to water resources, biodiversity and ecosystem integrity, for land use policies that recognize both the vulnerability of natural resources and our reliance on them, and the development and implementation of best management practices that will protect terrestrial, wetland, aquatic, and coastal ecosystems. UMass Extension is among the many agencies, institutions and organizations that are addressing ecosystem health and protection. Management decisions cannot always wait for a complete understanding of potential impacts without risking the loss of species or communities of species due to inaction. The University can play a critical role in the development and deployment of new approaches and tools based on an evolving understanding of both ecological and human systems.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst possesses a strong academic and research base for addressing various elements of ecosystem management and biodiversity protection. The Department of Natural Resources Conservation contains expertise in wildlife and fisheries conservation, forestry, conservation biology, landscape ecology, forest, wetland, aquatic and coastal ecosystems, and human dimensions of natural resource management. Expertise and research capacity exists in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning in the areas of regional land use, watershed and open space planning. The Department of Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences supports research capacity in the area of insect and plant pests/diseases and biological control agents.

UMass Extension will be addressing the following priorities in Ecosystem Management, Protection and Restoration over the next five years:

1. Land Protection. The window of opportunity for effective land conservation in southern New England may be only 10-20 years. After this time, the unprotected landscape is likely to be too fragmented to be of much value for supporting wildlife. Private landowners with an average age of approximately 60 years own 2.2 million acres, over 75% of our state's forests. To protect water resources in the long term, land acquisition and other conservation programs must include water resource protection as an important element. Within the next 10-20 years much of this land will be passed on or sold. A team of scientists and Extension educators at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has developed the Conservation Assessment and Prioritization System (CAPS) to provide an objective, dynamic, and flexible tool and approach for assessing biodiversity value and ecological viability. CAPS is the cutting edge in landscape-based ecological assessment and is unlike any other tools currently available. The implementation of integrated land protection strategies based on CAPS analyses will facilitate more targeted land conservation to effectively preserve biodiversity and maintain ecosystem integrity over time. Conservation organizations and agencies will be more targeted in their land protection efforts and will integrate efforts at various scales. Educating landowners on estate planning and land protection options, especially those in areas identified by CAPS as high priority, will help maintain the public benefit that is derived from these lands.
2. Development Impacts on Ecosystems. Water suppliers, dam operators, and industrial water users need to adopt practices that protect aquatic and wetland ecosystems. Of great concern is how land use affects the quantity and quality of water resources, biodiversity and ecosystem integrity. New development can be planned and conducted to minimize storm runoff, water withdrawals, and serious damage to fish and wildlife habitat.  Minimizing the impacts of development projects begins with the identification and protection of high-valued ecosystems and directing development to areas of lesser importance. As a quantitative approach for evaluating ecosystem integrity, CAPS can be used to evaluate and compare various development scenarios, such as alternative alignments for highway or utility projects. CAPS can also be used to quantify the indirect impacts of development projects on the surrounding, undeveloped landscape. Design and Best Management Practices can be used to minimize or mitigate impacts on ecosystems. These range from "conservation subdivisions" to the use of appropriate stream crossing structures, wildlife passage structures, and appropriate storm water management systems. A properly conducted habitat evaluation can provide important information that can be used to design projects to minimize impacts to habitat and ecosystems. The University of Massachusetts Amherst has research capacity and expertise in the areas of land use planning and management, conservation subdivisions, wildlife habitat and habitat evaluation, the performance of storm water management techniques and technology, maintaining river and stream continuity through appropriate road-stream crossing design, and mitigating the impacts of roads and highways on wildlife and ecosystems.
3. Land and Resource Management. Working with people who own and manage both land and the resources supported by the land is a critical element of ecosystem management, protection and restoration. Public and private land managers and businesses dependent on natural resources (such as agriculture, the horticultural green industry, forestry and others) have a direct impact on water resources. UMass Amherst has substantial research capacity in the management of agricultural land and intensively managed landscapes, as well as forest, freshwater and coastal ecosystems. UMass Extension has long maintained programs that provide information and technical assistance to a variety of audiences that work directly with the land and its resources. People who manage natural systems with the primary goal of protecting or restoring the health of ecosystems need up-to-date information on ecosystems and ecological processes, as well as tools and approaches for land protection and management to achieve their goals. Other audiences engaged in the management of natural systems for multiple objectives, including the harvesting of resources as well as the protection of environmental quality, need information on sustainable resource management and best management practices. Land managers who are managing land-based production systems (agriculture) and highly managed landscapes (golf courses) need information on practices that limit the unintended consequences of management practices on nearby natural systems.
4. Exotic pests, diseases, and invasive species. Exotic pests, diseases and invasive species are among the most profound threats to ecosystem integrity that we face. The number of invasive species already creating problems in Massachusetts is large and the potential for future problems is significant. Invasive species typically are habitat generalists and aggressive colonizers and outbreaks are difficult to contain and almost impossible to eliminate unless discovered and addressed early in the invasion. Biological control offers hope for the long-term containment of invasive species. However, careful screening of potential bio-control agents is essential lest the agent itself become a threat to ecosystem integrity. UMass Amherst possesses significant research capacity in the area of insect pests and the development and use of biological control to address the threats caused by these pests. Established agricultural, green industry and forestry extension programs can deliver research-based information to individuals about action that can be taken to avoid, detect and control invasive species.
5. Water Protection Our water resources must be protected to provide clean drinking water, support viable terrestrial, wetland and aquatic ecosystems, serve as an essential resource for businesses, and provide recreational opportunities. Historically in our region, water supply has been adequate, and point source pollution is now mostly under control. Increases in human population and changes in lifestyles, however, are creating new problems around water quantity and quality. Water withdrawals result in dry river beds and water consumption advisories, and polluted storm water has become a major concern for surface water bodies and wetlands. New pollutants are also discovered that need to be mitigated.

The following Projects addressed Ecosystem Management Protection and Restoration in FY 2009. Click on "plan" or "report" for additional details.

• Plant and Soil Diagnostic Services: Plan | Report
  
• Forest Conservation: Plan | Report
  
• Fish, Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation: Plan | Report
  
• Land Protection and Community Preservation: Plan | Report
• MA Water Watch Partnership: Plan | Report
• Nutrient Management - Livestock and Crops: Plan | Report
• Community Integrated Pest Management: Plan | Report