Page 345 - Environment: The Science Behind the Stories

Native Americans view rock climbing as a desecration of the
site. As a compromise, the National Park Service asks climb-
ers not to climb the tower in June, when Native Americans
travel there for religious ceremonies—an accommodation the
U.S. Supreme Court upheld after a lengthy court battle.
However, protected areas sometimes serve the inter-
ests of indigenous people. In Brazil and other Latin Ameri-
can nations, some rainforest parks and reserves encompass
regions occupied by indigenous tribes. The tribes are thereby
protected from conflict with miners, farmers, and settlers, and
they can continue their traditional way of life.

Many agencies and groups protect land
Efforts to set aside land—and the debates over such efforts—at
the national level are paralleled at regional and local levels. In
FIGURE 12.22 Wilderness areas are preserved and protected the United States, each state has agencies that manage resources
from development. Here a child enjoys Pictured Rocks National on public lands, as do many counties and municipalities. When
Lakeshore in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Mackinac Island, the nation’s second national park, was trans-
ferred to the state of Michigan, it became the first officially
designated state park in the nation. Another example is Adiron-
federal government retained jurisdiction over much of their dack State Park in New York. In the 19th century, the state of
acreage. Idaho, Oregon, and Utah control less than half the New York established this park to protect land in a mountain-
land within their borders, and in Nevada 80% of the land is fed- ous area where streams converge to form the Hudson River,
erally managed. Some western state governments have sought which thereafter flows south past Albany to New York City.
to obtain land from the federal government and to facilitate Seeing the need for river water to power industries, keep canals
resource extraction and development on it. They have been filled, and provide drinking water, the state made a far-sighted
supported by the industries that extract timber, minerals, and decision that has paid dividends through the years. Today these
fossil fuels, as well as by farmers, ranchers, trappers, and min- parks are among nearly 7000 state parks across the United
eral prospectors at the grassroots level. Both wealthy advocates States, along with regional parks, county parks, and others.
of privatization and people who make their living off the land Private nonprofit groups also preserve land. Land trusts
have supported efforts to secure local private control of public are local or regional organizations that purchase land to pre-
lands, limit government regulation, encourage the extraction of serve in its natural condition. The Nature Conservancy, the
resources, and promote motorized recreation on public lands. world’s largest land trust, uses science to select areas and eco-
These advocates have driven debates over national park policy, systems in greatest need of protection. Smaller land trusts are
such as whether recreational activities that disturb wildlife, diverse in their missions and methods. Nearly 1700 local and
such as snowmobiles and jet-skis, should be allowed. state land trusts in the United States together own 870,000 ha
Similar debates take place wherever parks are established.
In East Africa, many Maasai people living near Serengeti (2.1 million acres) and have helped preserve an additional 5.6
million ha (13.9 million acres), including scenic areas such as
National Park resent the park because it displaced their fami- Big Sur on the California coast, Jackson Hole in Wyoming,
lies from their traditional land (p. 320). Many people living and Maine’s Mount Desert Island. Moreover, thousands of
near the park want a highway to be built through it in order to local volunteer groups (often named “Friends of” an area) have
provide them better mobility and access to trade (pp. 293–294). organized from the grassroots to help care for protected lands.
Parks and protected areas regularly bring substantial
economic benefits to people who live nearby, through eco-
tourism. However, individuals who do not have jobs related to Parks and reserves are increasing
parks and tourism may feel that a park restricts their economic internationally
opportunities. For this reason, proponents of protected areas
increasingly try to ensure that the economic benefits of preserv- Many nations have established systems of protected areas
ing natural land are spread equitably among people in nearby and are benefiting from ecotourism as a result. Tanzania
communities. and Kenya are world-renowned for their parks and reserves,
Groups of indigenous people frequently oppose govern- including Serengeti National Park and Maasai Mara National
ment actions to set aside land. As with the Maasai in Africa, Reserve, which protect entire ecosystems and vast populations
Native Americans were forced from their land while the U.S. of large mammals (Chapter 11). Costa Rica, Belize, Ecuador,
government imposed rules of property ownership that were Thailand, and Australia are also famed for their parks and gain
foreign to most Native American cultures. Some sites used large amounts of foreign capital from tourism.
today for recreation in the national parks are sites long sacred The total worldwide area in protected parks and reserves
to Native cultures. The huge basalt rock formation at Devil’s has increased nearly sevenfold since 1970, and today the
Tower National Monument in Wyoming is sacred to many world’s 158,000 protected areas cover 12.7% of the planet’s
344 Plains tribes, yet it is also popular with technical rock climbers. land area. However, parks in developing nations do not always

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