Sustaining Rocky Mountain Landscapes

by Prato, Tony; Fagre, Dan

• ISBN13: 9781933115450
• ISBN10: 1933115459
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-05-10
• Publisher: ROUTLEDGE

Summary

Tony Prato and Dan Fagre offer the first systematic, multidisciplinary assessment of the challenges involved in managing the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem (CCE), an area of the Rocky Mountains that includes northwestern Montana, southwestern Alberta, and southeastern British Columbia. The spectacular landscapes, extensive recreational options, and broad employment opportunities of the CCE have made it one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States and Canada. They have also led to a shift in its economic base from extractive resource industries to service-oriented recreation and tourism industries. In the process, however, the amenities and attributes that draw people to this "New West" are under threat. Pastoral scenes are disappearing as agricultural lands and other open spaces are converted to residential uses, biodiversity is endangered by the fragmentation of fish and wildlife habitats, and many areas are experiencing a decline in air and water quality. Sustaining Rocky Mountain Landscapes provides a scientific basis for communities to develop policies for managing the growth and economic transformation of the CCE without sacrificing the quality of life and environment for which the land is renowned. The book begins with a natural and economic history of the CCE, followed by an assessment of current physical and biological conditions. The contributors then explore how social, economic, demographic, and environmental forces are transforming ecosystem structure and function. They consider ecosystem change in response to changing patterns of land use, pollution, and drought; the increasing risk of wildfire to wildlife and to human life and property; and the implications of global climate change on the CCE. A final, policy-focused section of the book looks at transboundary issues in ecosystem management and evaluates the potential of community-based and adaptive approaches in ecosystem management.

Table of Contents

The crown of the continent : striving for ecosystem sustainability	p. 3
The crown of the continent ecosystem : profile of a treasured landscape	p. 17
Native peoples and archaeology of Waterton Glacier International Peace Park	p. 39
Economic growth and landscape change	p. 55
Sustaining wildland recreation in the CCE : issues, challenges and opportunities	p. 67
Alpine ecosystem dynamics and change : a view from the heights	p. 85
Conserving biodiversity	p. 102
Aquatic ecosystem health	p. 117
Conserving water resources in the CCE	p. 135
Paleoperspectives on climate and ecosystem change	p. 151
Modeling and monitoring biophysical dynamics and change in the CCE	p. 171
Ecosystem responses to global climate change	p. 187
CCE fire regimes and their management	p. 201
Cumulative effects analysis and the crown managers partnership	p. 215
Transboundary conservation and the yellowstone to Yukon conservation initiative	p. 229
Adaptive ecosystem management	p. 249
Challenges of managing Glacier National Park in a regional context	p. 260
Resolving transboundary conflicts : the role of community-based advocacy	p. 285
Achieving ecosystem sustainability	p. 302
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.