New Conservation Voices
 The Future
of Biodiversity: Wilderness & Beyond
by Gordon Orians, Profesor Emeritus at University of Washington
February 2007
The extent and nature of the world’s ecosystems
changed more rapidly during the last century than at any other time in human
history. Across a range of taxonomic groups, either population size, or range,
or both, or the majority of species is currently declining. Over the past few
hundred years, humans have increased the rate of species extinction by as much
as 1,000 times over the background rates typical over most of Earth’s history.
Parks, reserves, and wilderness areas are
critical components of our efforts to preserve Earth’s rich biological
diversity. For a variety of reasons, we will always need reserves and
wilderness areas, but, by themselves, they will not suffice to stem the loss of
biodiversity. Moreover, the vast
majority of threatened and endangered species in the United
States rely heavily on habitat
located on non-federal land.
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Read more...
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 Protecting Puget Sound
By David Dicks
I trace my passion for Puget Sound back to my childhood – when I was fortunate to spend summers with my family swimming, water-skiing and fishing in and around Hood Canal.
So I was honored when the governor appointed me Executive Director of the Puget Sound Partnership – a collaborative effort she and the Legislature created to protect and restore the entire Puget Sound ecosystem, from the snowcaps to the whitecaps.
To ultimately be successful, it will take more than protecting the Sound itself. We must also include the upper watersheds that form the headwaters of the rivers and streams that flow into the Sound. Special designations such as wilderness, wild and scenic rivers, and roadless areas are critical tools for achieving our long-term goal.
Our first task was to create a strategy that will put the Sound’s health on an upward trajectory. And after 18 months of public outreach – to scientists, policy experts, business and environmental leaders, Indian tribes, all levels of
government, and citizens from all over the Sound – we adopted this strategy, known as the Action Agenda.
The Action Agenda has four cornerstones:
- Coordinate. The current fragmented approach isn’t beneficial to the environment. We need a more strategic, better-coordinated effort.
- Reduce. Water pollution must be reduced by curtailing its sources.
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Restore. Our own activities have vastly altered the ecosystem during the past 150 years. So our restoration
efforts need to bring portions of river, wetland and marine systems back to life.
- Protect. By protecting the last remaining intact places, we can prevent problems before they occur, which is the best and most cost-effective approach to restoring ecosystem health.
Among the near-term actions proposed under “protect” is advocating for the expansion of the Alpine Lakes
Wilderness area and protection of the free-flowing Pratt River – both priorities of the Washington Wilderness
Coalition. Now that the Action Agenda has been adopted, we are working on Implementing near-term actions and projects that can get moving quickly to create jobs and also help Puget Sound.
I believe a healthy Puget Sound ecosystem is fundamental to our way of life and a legacy we all want to pass along to our children and grandchildren. Now is our chance to make and keep Puget Sound a healthy and prosperous place for all of us.
David Dicks is Executive Director of the Puget Sound Partnership.
For more information about the Action Agenda, visit www.psp.wa.gov.
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Take Action
Please sign our online petition supporting protections for the Wild Olympics!
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