Cultural Ecosystem Services as a framework for evaluating wilderness values in public land.

摘要

The Wilderness Act of 1964 states the purpose of the National Wilderness Preservation System is "to secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness." But, how to accomplish this mandate is a complex task. The application of the Ecosystem Services model is ideal for facilitating the complex duel goals of securing benefits and preserving wilderness resources. Ecosystem Services directly addresses benefits derived from a landscape, even if the specifics of the benefits change over time. This dissertation employs Ecosystem Services as a framework to provide a more complete understanding of wilderness values. In three separate studies conducted in wilderness areas in Southern Arizona, (Assessing Border-Related Human Impacts at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Linking Visitor Flows and Patterns of Use with General Management Planning in Saguaro National Park and Monitoring and Estimating Visitor Use at the Madrona Ranger Station and Surrounding Landscape) elements of Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES) are illuminated.;I found that the more holistic epistemology of Ecosystem Services allowed for the inclusion of better scientific data in the management process. The inclusion of quantitative, repeatable, defensible studies of user behavior in wildlands allows for dynamic management options that are rooted in real conditions (mutable, undesirable or unique). Specifically Cultural Ecosystem Services address the value and significance of the unique landscape of wilderness. Previous models for wildland management sought specific metrics of carrying capacity to limit use and control impact. Ecosystem Services combines diverse scientific fields to provide real understanding of the landscape. The addition of ES to manager's decision processes allows for better understanding of real conditions.