Preservation: Not a Working Landscape

A preserved landscape is a habitat area that is taken out of production so that it can retain its natural state into the future. This is land with a quality or characteristic that makes it distinct and unique. Some good examples of preserved landscapes are listed below.

These are a few examples of where a working landscape may not make sense. Why? Because satisfying our economic or social needs in these areas would be too costly to the ecology. Without preservation, these landscapes lose their uniqueness, or at least risk losing the natural qualities that make them so special.

Who owns preserved areas? Many preserved landscapes are publicly owned land held as national parks and preserves. States, counties, other private organizations and even private landowners can also own preserved landscapes.

Does leaving an area relatively untouched so that it maintains its biodiversity mean it will never change? Can we preserve forests as forests, prairies as prairies, and wetlands as wetlands? No. At least not forever.

All natural systems go through change. Wetlands can slowly fill in and become wet marshes. People might choose to dredge a wetland to keep it from filling in. If nothing is done, the wet marshes may continue to fill in and become a meadow. If the meadow is not managed (through mowing or burning), trees may become established and start a forest. So a preserved area will change through time, unless the decision is made to manage the area to preserve a particular type of habitat.

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Yellowstone is a national treasure. Yellowstone: America's Sacred Wilderness is a PBS (Living Eden series) Web site that goes into detail about why this is such a special place. Should it be a working landscape? Or should it be protected.