BIODIVERSITY IN PENNSYLVANIA

Surrounded by today's modern conveniences, it is easy to forget that mankind's survival still depends on the planet's natural biological diversity. That is, we rely on millions of different kinds of interconnected animals, plants, and microorganisms — which scientists collectively call "biodiversity" — to provide us with the very air we breath and the soil we need to grow food.

( To read about biodiversity click here. To read even more about biodiversity click here, PDF File. )

Pennsylvania alone is home to more than 25,000 species of known plants and animals, with perhaps thousands more yet to be identified. Sustainable use of our natural resources is critical for maintaining the state's economic health, as well as the quality of life of all Pennsylvanians.

( Click here to read about the economic impacts of biodiversity, PDF File. Courtesy of College of Agricultural Sciences — Cooperative Extension Center for Biodiversity Research, Environmental Resources Research Institute, Penn State. )

But many threats to our biodiversity are present. Animals, plants, and their unique habitats are being lost every year in Pennsylvania due to natural forces, human activities, and lack of coordination. Over 800 plant and animal species are considered to be rare, threatened, or endangered in the state.

• The PA Biodiversity Partnership
• Snapshot 2002
• Organization and laws
• Scientific knowledge
• Threats to biodiversity
• Biodiversity tools
• Public awareness
• Next steps
• What can you do to help?

Images used in this webcast by: Western PA Conservancy and the Nature Conservancy.

Excerpted & adapted with permission from Snapshot 2002: Biodiversity in Pennsylvania copyright © 2002 PBP and Biodiversity: Our Living World: Your Life Depends on It! Copyright © 2001 The Pennsylvania State University.






In response to a recommendation by the Pennsylvania 21st Century Environment Commission, the Pennsylvania Biodiversity Partnership (PBP) was formed in 2000. The PBP is a public-private partnership to promote the conservation of native species and their habitats. PBP's goals were to find out what we know and don't know about Pennsylvania's natural resources, as well as to make recommendations on how to develop a comprehensive strategy for biodiversity conservation.

( Click here to learn more about PBP. )

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PBP's first step was to analyze the current state of biodiversity conservation in Pennsylvania. The analysis is contained in Biodiversity in Pennsylvania: Snapshot 2002, a report that is excerpted and explained in this LandSavers webcast. Snapshot 2002 examines: organizations and laws in place to protect Pennsylvania's biodiversity; current knowledge of the state's biological resources; known threats; how biodiversity is being managed; and public awareness of biodiversity issues.

( Click here to order a free copy of Snapshot 2002. )

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Organizations
State, federal, county, and local governmental organizations all have a role in managing the lands, waters, and biological resources of Pennsylvania. Although these multiple government units provide many tools, they have sometimes lacked coordination in matters of land use and biodiversity conservation. For instance, responsibility for monitoring plants, birds, mammals, fish, amphibians, reptiles, mussels, and aquatic insects is divided among several state agencies. No state agency has oversight for terrestrial invertebrates, such as earthworms and snails — the largest group of organisms in the state.

( Click here to learn about agency roles in protecting biodiversity, Snapshot 2002 report, 972K PDF File. )

Laws and Policies
Although some laws protecting the environment existed prior to the 1960s, there was no concerted effort to protect the use of public natural resources in the state. With passage of the Environmental Rights Clause ( Click here to read an article on the ERC ) to the Pennsylvania Constitution in 1971, the government's attitude changed to one of trustee for public natural resources. This amendment declared that the citizens of Pennsylvania have a right to a healthy environment and guarantees public rights in preservation of natural values in the environment.

Today, Pennsylvania has numerous laws and policies that relate to biodiversity conservation. These include laws that govern public and private actions affecting lands and waters. Other laws and policies address what biological information is collected, how it is organized, how it is made available to public and private decision-makers.

( See how Pennsylvania compares with other states. )

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Endangered Species
The state maintains an information system for a subset of biodiversity data: plant and animal species listed as endangered, threatened, or rare. The computerized system is part of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program (PNHP), which was formerly called the Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory (PNDI). PNHP also contains data relating to rare and exemplary natural communities and outstanding geologic features. Pennsylvania's PNHP system is part of a larger, international system of collecting biodiversity information about threatened species. PNHP is also pursuing a long-term effort to develop an authoritative checklist of all Pennsylvania biota, including common species.

( Click here to learn more about international and national biodiversity networks. )

Species data in the PNHP system is refined and updated based largely on results of ongoing County Natural Areas Inventories. This research is performed by The Nature Conservancy in eastern Pennsylvania and by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in western Pennsylvania.

Since 1988, several state regulatory programs have required a PNDI review as part of an environmental assessment prior to permit issuance. The PNHP system currently is being upgraded with improved GIS technology to allow more accurate searches of whether proposed development projects will impact sensitive species.

Native Species
When it comes to information about common, non-threatened species, the Snapshot report notes that there are significant gaps in our understanding of basic questions such as what plants and animals live in the state, where they live, and their ability to reproduce and thrive.

( Click here to see a summary of current knowledge about PA's plants and animals, Snapshot 2002 report, 347K PDF File.)

The report notes that the state's biodiversity information is scattered across many agencies and organizations in various formats that are often incomplete, out-of-date, or inaccessible.

Moreover, although there are several funding sources for biodiversity research and conservation in Pennsylvania, the amount of money available for information-gathering does not come close to meeting the projected needs.

( Click here to see list of funding sources for biodiversity protection, Snapshot 2002 report, 1MB PDF File. )

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According to the PBP report, threats to Pennsylvania's native species can be grouped into two major categories: (1) habitat loss and fragmentation; and (2) pollution. Major sources of these threats include changing land use patterns, an overabundance of white-tailed deer in many areas of the state, and invasive plant species. Aquatic organisms, such as freshwater mussels, have been especially impacted by pollution.

Although there is little doubt that human impacts have been largely responsible for a decline in biodiversity in the state, there is much that we don't know regarding how our actions affect species and ecosystems in Pennsylvania. While progress is being made in correcting some threats, such as point-source pollution from manufacturing or wastewater treatment plants, others, such as urban sprawl and invasive plant species, present increasing problems.

( Click here to learn more about the decline in the state's natural diversity, 842K PDF File. )

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CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE WEBCAST

Hear Director of Pennsylvania Biodiversity Partnership ,
Sue Thompson, Ph.D., talk about biodiversity in PA.

Courtesy of Watershed.tv — All Living Things

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Best Management Practices
Best management practices (BMPs) have become accepted as one of the most effective approaches for managing natural resources on both public and private lands. While most BMPs do not specifically target biodiversity as their primary goal (having, instead, more limited goals such as prevention of soil erosion), many BMPs contribute towards this goal. However, the Snapshot report notes that biodiversity conservation can be achieved only if the stewards of private lands have the education, tools, and will to make it happen.

( See these publications outlining BMPs: Forestry and Forest Management, Wildlife . )

( To order a copy of the Audobon Society's "Healthy Yard" chart, write to HealthyYards@audobon.org. )

( To learn about landscaping with native plants, click here. )

Land Protection
Land protection activities, including land acquisition, regulations, incentives, education, and most important, good stewardship by private landowners, are important components of biodiversity conservation. Cohesive land protection strategies and coordination among agencies is essential to achieving the ultimate goal of biodiversity conservation throughout the Commonwealth.

Habitat Restoration and Species Reintroductions
Restoration and reintroduction projects have been somewhat successful in counteracting the loss of species and habitats in Pennsylvania. The serpentine aster, paddlefish, river otter, and elk are among the species that have begun their resurgence in Pennsylvania as a result of restoration ecology. Restoration and reintroduction projects have taken many forms, ranging from wetland restoration and fire management to replanting native grasslands and relocating animals to their former ranges. Despite the success of some reintroduction efforts, most are costly and many fail.

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Surveys reveal that people consistently place a high value on protecting plants, animals, and their habitats. Although Pennsylvanians strongly support conservation, their perceived knowledge about biodiversity, especially the term itself, is not high. This is not surprising since both the concept and the term are relatively new, even to scientists.

This disconnect between the public's lack of understanding of biodiversity and its support for protecting the environment may be attributed, in part, to a lack of educational materials on biodiversity. Although concepts related to biodiversity were reported in many educational programs, the subject was often limited to individual species or habitats rather than interrelationships among species. Explanations of why species have become endangered or threatened, recovery plans, and critical habitat designations were rarely addressed. The inclusion of biodiversity in the recently adopted Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Environment and Ecology may help close this gap. However, it will not help address the lack of educational materials on biodiversity available to adult audiences.

( Click here to learn more about educational resources, Snapshot 2002 report, 738K PDF File. )

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The PBP report reveals that despite extensive knowledge about natural resource conservation in Pennsylvania and many activities focused on conserving wildlife and habitats, there is much we don't know about biodiversity in the state. Many gaps need to be filled. Moreover, despite the importance of biodiversity and the continuing threats to biological communities, Pennsylvania lacks a statewide strategy for biodiversity conservation.

Even though PBP members represent a wide range of backgrounds and opinions, a consensus quickly emerged on the priority of developing a statewide plan for conserving Pennsylvania's biodiversity. Benefits of a statewide Biodiversity Conservation Plan would include:

  • Facilitate interactions among groups concerned with biodiversity.
  • Increase cooperation and coordination among government agencies, organizations, business, and individuals involved in biodiversity issues.
  • Minimize duplication of efforts among organizations.
  • Establish informed priorities for inventory, monitoring, and conservation at a statewide level.
  • Increase voluntary stewardship of biodiversity and thus avoid the need for additional regulations.
  • Increase educational materials regarding the impact and importance of biodiversity to our lives and to the ecological and economic health of Pennsylvania.

    The PBP currently is conducting regional public meetings to gain information for the draft statewide plan.

    ( Click here to view Pennsylvania Biodiversity Conservation Plan Timetable. )

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  • Visit the PNHP/PNDI website.
  • Fill out the PBP survey about your thoughts on biodiversity.
  • Contact PBP ( tel. 412-481-4100 ) to learn about meetings in your area to provide input into the statewide plan.
  • Join the state biodiversity listserve network.
  • Take the time to read the excellent pamphlet Biodiversity by Ke Chung Kim, Ph.D. available online or order a free copy by calling The Penn State University at ( tel. 814-865-6713 ).
  • PBP is conducting a survey to determine what biodiversity information ("metadata") is available in the state. If you would like to make PBP aware of records of plants or animals you have identified, visit Pennsylvania Biodiversity Data Inventory.
  • Use BMPs on your own property. See the paragraph on BMPs in this webcast for more information.



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