Protected areas

What are they really protecting

Taylor Thomeus

Throughout the United States and Canada, there are a number of protected areas designated in place to preserve certain aspects of the natural world. From wildlife, to vegetation, to the aesthetic features of waterfalls and other landscapes, protected areas maintain their beauty and wonder. However, protected areas are not always selected with these criterion in mind. Instead, they are often selected based on other factors such as availability, cost, feasibility, etc.

The whooping Crane is an incredibly sensitive, and endangered species, that is native to North America. It migrates from areas of the south eastern United States to central Canada seasonally, and relies on wetland areas with shallow water to breed.

Species like the Whooping Crane, which have a large range, and a multitude of required habitats, are often not adequately considered in the allocation of protected areas. Consequently, the end points of their migratory route are protected... everywhere in between, however, is not. With this in mind, it is important to note that the breeding grounds of the Whooping Crane (in Alberta) were unknown until 1954 (Pearse, et al. 2018). Though this was many years ago, it still serves as a good indication of how much we are still learning about the natural world around us.

The Whooping Crane covers hundreds of kilometers during their migration, and a journey of this magnitude is not feasible to complete all at once. This is why the flock will typically stop to rest and refuel at various points along the journey. In order to complete the journey, there must be adequate protected areas along the migratory route to ensure their survival.

Therefore, in order to optimize the chances for survival, steps must be taken to ensure that there are protected areas in place to increase the likelihood of surviving the long seasonal migration. Not only will this aid in the survival of the Whooping Crane, but preserving the diversity also improves the resilience of an area. Increased resilience will in turn create a buffer against adverse environmental conditions, such as those associated with climate change.

Current protected areas in North America were determined using Geographic Information System (GIS) software (this data was provided by Scott Nielsen). Once protected areas were established, data from the AdaptWest Databasin online portal was used to illustrate the richness and refugia of various bird and tree species, respectively, across the continent of North America. Additionally, diversity across the content was considered through the analysis of different elevations, ecotypes, and land facets (also from the AdaptWest Databasin). The study area is shown below:

North America, excluding Mexico.

Once these data sets were properly prepped and ready for analysis, zonation software (ESRI, 2020; Moilanen et al., © 2004-2012) was used to determine the biodiversity of trees and birds across three different coarse filters (elevation, land facet, and ecotype). The results of the zonation analysis can be found below:

This image illustrates the diversity of tree and bird species throughout North America. However, this image only includes data from the three aforementioned coarse filters. The addition of more filters would create a more accurate depiction of diversity across the continent. Note: the areas of lowest diversity fall along the migratory route of the Whooping Crane.

When comparing the map of overall diversity to the above map of protected areas, it is clear that current protected areas are not aligned with the preservation of the overall diversity of the continent. Again, note the lack of protected areas along the migratory route of the Whooping Crane. Though there are protected areas in place, they are not adequate for reaching the conservation goals pertinent to the Whooping Crane.

Meanwhile, the Sandhill Crane (pictured above), behaves similarly to the Whooping Crane in terms of migration and habitat preference, and the two can be easily confused. The Sandhill Crane population is stable and therefore eligible for hunting. Consequently, there are often instances in which the Whooping Crane is caught in the cross fire unintentionally.

With this in mind, a potential plan of action to aid the Whooping Crane's survival is the implementation of seasonal protected areas. During the migration, restrictions on hunting as well as limited human activity along the migratory route will give species like the Whooping Crane the means to refuel along their journey. Limiting human activity is a crucial element to this plan, as the Whooping Crane prefers areas that are free from human activity. Meanwhile, human activity and land use can still occur throughout the remainder of the year. This is, of course, assuming limited to no permanently damaging development in areas that are suitable for Whooping Crane rest stops along the route.

In conclusion, the implementation of protected areas is vital in conserving biodiversity across not only the continent, but the globe. Protecting areas of low diversity is a great first step to ensuring the survival of more species, and increasing the overall resilience of the North American biome.

Image credits:

About the Whooping Crane Western Flock [Photograph]. (n.d.). Journey North.

AdaptWest. (2021). Environmental diversity data for North America. Retrieved from https://adaptwest.databasin.org/

ESRI. (2020). ArcGIS Desktop: Release 10.8. Redlands, CA: Environmental Systems Research Institute.

J. R. (2020, February 1). Species Spotlight Whooping Crane [Photograph]. National Wildlife Federation, Texas.

M. C. (2015, April 23). Whooping Cranes Vs. Big Oil [Photograph]. Hakai Magazine, Texas.

North American forests unlikely to save us from climate change [Photograph]. (2016, July 20). University of Arizona, Colorado.

Our work [Photograph]. (n.d.). Our Work, International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Pearse, A. T., Rabbe, M., Juliusson, L. M., Bidwell, M. T., Craig-Moore, L., Brandt, D. A., & Harrell, W. (2018). Delineating and identifying long-term changes in the whooping crane (Grus americana) migration corridor(G. Plos One. doi:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192737

V. G. (2019, April 26). Sandhill crane hunting resolutions introduced in Michigan Legislature [Photograph]. Michigan Radio, Michigan.

The whooping Crane is an incredibly sensitive, and endangered species, that is native to North America. It migrates from areas of the south eastern United States to central Canada seasonally, and relies on wetland areas with shallow water to breed.

The Whooping Crane covers hundreds of kilometers during their migration, and a journey of this magnitude is not feasible to complete all at once. This is why the flock will typically stop to rest and refuel at various points along the journey. In order to complete the journey, there must be adequate protected areas along the migratory route to ensure their survival.

Therefore, in order to optimize the chances for survival, steps must be taken to ensure that there are protected areas in place to increase the likelihood of surviving the long seasonal migration. Not only will this aid in the survival of the Whooping Crane, but preserving the diversity also improves the resilience of an area. Increased resilience will in turn create a buffer against adverse environmental conditions, such as those associated with climate change.

This image illustrates the diversity of tree and bird species throughout North America. However, this image only includes data from the three aforementioned coarse filters. The addition of more filters would create a more accurate depiction of diversity across the continent. Note: the areas of lowest diversity fall along the migratory route of the Whooping Crane.

When comparing the map of overall diversity to the above map of protected areas, it is clear that current protected areas are not aligned with the preservation of the overall diversity of the continent. Again, note the lack of protected areas along the migratory route of the Whooping Crane. Though there are protected areas in place, they are not adequate for reaching the conservation goals pertinent to the Whooping Crane.

Meanwhile, the Sandhill Crane (pictured above), behaves similarly to the Whooping Crane in terms of migration and habitat preference, and the two can be easily confused. The Sandhill Crane population is stable and therefore eligible for hunting. Consequently, there are often instances in which the Whooping Crane is caught in the cross fire unintentionally.

In conclusion, the implementation of protected areas is vital in conserving biodiversity across not only the continent, but the globe. Protecting areas of low diversity is a great first step to ensuring the survival of more species, and increasing the overall resilience of the North American biome.