Nature Reserves: Do They Capture the Full Range of America's
Biological Diversity?, J. Michael Scott, Frank W. Davis,
R. Gavin McGhie,
R. Gerald Wright, Craig Groves, John Estes, pages
999-1007. Ecological Applications August 2001.
Abstract. Less than 6% of the coterminous United States is
in nature reserves. Assessment of the occurrence of nature reserves
across ranges of elevation and soil productivity classes indicates
that nature reserves are most frequently found at higher elevations
and on less productive soils. The distribution of plants and animals
suggests that the greatest number of species is found at lower elevations.
A preliminary assessment of the occurrence of mapped land cover types
indicates that ~60% of mapped cover types have <10% of their area
in nature reserves. Land ownership patterns show that areas of lower
elevation and more productive soils are most often privately owned
and already extensively converted to urban and agricultural uses. Thus
any effort to establish a system of nature reserves that captures the
full geographical and ecological range of cover types and species must
fully engage the private sector.
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