Case Study of Research, Monitoring, and Management Programs Associated with theSaguaro Cactus ('Carnegiea gigantea') at Saguaro National Monument, Arizona

摘要

Saguaro National Monument (SAGU) was established in 1933 on the east side ofTucson, Arizona, to protect what was then one of the most awe-inspiring stands of saguaros to be found anywhere in the Sonoran Desert. Yet today, little more than a half century later, the giant, many-branched saguaros have all but disappeared from the original 'cactus forest' of the 1930s. Since the primary mission of the National Park Service (NPS) at SAGU is to protect the distinctive cactus species for which the monument was named, the saguaro has been the subject of considerable concern and research at SAGU since the late 1930s. The purpose of this report is to (1) trace the development of various research and monitoring efforts involving the saguaro at SAGU, (2) evaluate the rationale for these investigations, and (3) examine some of the impacts of these research efforts on management decisions and public perceptions regarding the ecological status of this extraordinary plant.