Cumulative Impacts on Wetlands: Linking Scientific Assessments and Regulatory Alternatives

摘要

The article is an extension and application of Preston and Bedford (1988), especially as relevant to bottomland hardwood (BLH) forests of the southeastern United States. The most important cumulative effects in BLH forests result from incremental forest loss (nibbing) and from synergisms resulting from nibbing. Present regulatory procedures are ineffective in preventing incremental forest loss because of the focus on permit site evaluation, rather than on large landscapes. Three examples are given to illustrate the need for a landscape focus. The perspective requires preplanning or goal setting to establish the desired conditions to be maintained in the regulated landscape unit. Reference data sets must be developed, relating BLH function to structure. The data sets can be used to set goals for individual watersheds, based on their present conditions and the magnitude and type of perceived development pressures. The crucial steps in establishing a successful program appear to be: establish study unit boundaries; assess the condition of study unit landscape integrity; set goals; and consider the impacts of permit proposals with both goals and the existing condition of the study unit landscape in mind.