OBJECTIVE 1. Understand and document alpine plant diversity >

TARGET 3:

Assess land management designations for all North American alpine habitats by 2023.whose conservation status is ranked G1/T1 – G3/T3 by 2022.

Land ownership and management status will be compiled for all Target 1 mapped areas of North America. Areas will be classified based on IUCN protection designations:

  • Category Ia — Strict Nature Reserve
  • Category Ib — Wilderness Area
  • Category II — National Park
  • Category III — Natural Monument or Feature
  • Category IV — Habitat/Species Management Area
  • Category V — Protected Landscape/Seascape
  • Category VI — Protected Area with sustainable use of natural resources

Land management designations will be determined and ranked based on current land management agency definitions for habitat protection and security of designation.

Progress

This Target was started with help from Dena Bergman, a Regis University graduate student in spring 2022, and is being updated with the new alpine map from Target 2.

Approach

Why do we care about land designation? Natural areas are managed by a variety of people and organizations, and some are much more protected than others from threats to the flora and fauna. We want to find out where alpine areas fall within these protection mosaics to determine if some sites need a higher level of protection. Wilderness areas are places within public lands that are set aside with a higher level of protection to ensure that “America’s wild lands will not disappear”. Colorado has more than 40 wilderness areas, most of which are within the eleven National Forests in our state. We also have four National Parks, four National Monuments, and two National Historic Sites! The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has created criteria to measure the protection level of land designations, with strict nature preserves as the highest, followed by wilderness areas, national parks, and on down the list. 

Result

The products from this Target will be available fall 2024, reflecting the updated alpine map from Target 2.