scholarly journals Conservation of carbon resources and values on public lands: A case study from the National Wildlife Refuge System

PLoS ONE ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e0262218
Author(s):  
Zhiliang Zhu ◽  
Beth Middleton ◽  
Emily Pindilli ◽  
Darren Johnson ◽  
Kurt Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Carbon Stock ◽  
Public Lands ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Land ◽  
National Wildlife Refuge ◽  
Public Land Management ◽  
Management Objectives

Public lands in the United States are those land areas managed by federal, state, and county governments for public purposes such as preservation and recreation. Protecting carbon resources and increasing carbon sequestration capacity are compatible with public land management objectives for healthy and resilient habitats, i.e., managing habitats for the benefit of wildlife and ecosystem services can simultaneously capture and store carbon. To evaluate the effect of public land management on carbon storage and review carbon management as part of the land management objectives, we used existing data of carbon stock and net ecosystem carbon balance in a study of the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS), a public land management program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). Total carbon storage of the 364 refuges studied was 16.6 PgC, with a mean value 42,981 gCm-2. We used mixed modeling with Bonferroni adjustment techniques to analyze the effect of time since refuge designation on carbon storage. In general, older refuges store more carbon per unit area than younger refuges. In addition to the age factor, carbon resources are variable by regions and habitat types protected in the refuges. Mean carbon stock and the rate of sequestration are higher within refuges than outside refuges, but the statistical comparison of 364 refuges analyzed in this study was not significant. We also used the social cost of carbon to analyze the annual benefits of sequestrating carbon in these publicly managed lands in the United States, which is over $976 million per year in avoided CO2 emissions via specific conservation management actions. We examine case studies of management, particularly with respect to Service cooperation activities with The Conservation Fund (TCF) Go Zero® Program, Trust for Public Land (TPL) and individuals. Additional opportunities exist in improving techniques to maximize carbon resources in refuges, while continuing to meet the core purpose and need of the NWRS.

Improving institutional incentives for public land management: an econometric analysis of school trust land leases

2005 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
MATTHEW H. BONDS ◽  
JEFFREY J. POMPE
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Public Lands ◽  
The United States ◽  
Institutional Arrangements ◽  
Public Land ◽  
Boards Of Education ◽  
Public Land Management ◽  
Conflicting Objectives ◽  
School Trust

There is considerable interest in the proper management of public lands in the United States, but questions arise over what institutional arrangements may ensure proper land stewardship. Recently, the trust doctrine has been heralded as a way to motivate prudent decision making by land managers. School trust lands, which are managed to generate revenues for public schools, represent a long-standing example of the trust doctrine at work. We examine Mississippi school trust leases and show that the trustees, who are elected officials, maintain multiple conflicting objectives, which ultimately undermine the trust relationship. However, we find that a recent institutional change that made the Boards of Education (the fund recipients) the trustees, caused revenues to increase dramatically.

scholarly journals Outdoor Programs for Veterans: Public Land Policies and Practices to Support Therapeutic Opportunities

2020 ◽  
Vol 118 (5) ◽  
pp. 534-547
Author(s):  
Monika M Derrien ◽  
Lee K Cerveny ◽  
David G Havlick
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
Outdoor Recreation ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Public Lands ◽  
Public Land ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Outdoor Activity ◽  
Public Land Management ◽  
Outdoor Programs

Abstract Many veterans returning from military deployment experience stress- or trauma-related symptoms that make reintegration with civilian society difficult. Nature exposure and outdoor recreation can be important parts of alternative and complementary approaches to reduce symptoms and build on veterans’ pre-existing strengths. Multiple outdoor programs now exist for veterans; many of these occur on federal public lands and present a variety of needs, opportunities, and challenges. This paper relies on interviews (n = 36) with public land managers, program providers and participants, health professionals, and veterans to enhance understanding about outdoor programs for veterans (OPVs). We develop a typology of OPVs to help land managers understand current and potential programs, and then describe programs’ varying dimensions. We examine opportunities and challenges for land managers in their interactions with OPVs. Results inform policymakers and public officials interested in developing more effective institutional partnerships and programs that engage and serve veterans and their communities. Study Implications: With growing scientific evidence of the benefits of nature-based therapy, nature exposure, and outdoor recreation for veterans, programming for veterans on public lands has proliferated. Public land-management agencies vary in the extent to which they have systematically organized to provide opportunities for veterans, developed partnerships to support veterans’ health, and explicitly acknowledged agency roles in serving veterans. We describe seven types of outdoor programs for veterans (OPVs) that currently serve this population: supported outdoor activity; guided outdoor activity; retreat; outdoor job training; stewardship or service; horticulture, farming or gardening; and animal-assisted therapy. Each OPV type has different needs for infrastructure, outdoor spaces, and administrative or programmatic engagement. OPVs occurring on public lands typically involve one or more partner organizations, such as commercial outfitters and guides, health providers, veterans’ associations, foundations, corporations, and research institutions. There is potential for public land-management agencies to expand their role as institutional leaders in support of veterans’ health by facilitating the use of public lands as therapeutic landscapes. By enhancing new and existing relations with OPV providers, health providers, and other government agencies, public land agencies could expand benefits to veterans and spur broader societal benefits.

A Review of Trends and Knowledge Gaps in Latinx Outdoor Recreation on Federal and State Public Lands

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alyssa Thomas ◽  
José Sánchez ◽  
David Flores
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Outdoor Recreation ◽  
Public Lands ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Land ◽  
Institutional Barriers ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Barriers To Access ◽  
History Of

The Latinx population in the United States, estimated to compose 28% of the country’s population by 2050, has a long history of public land use. Yet while research on Latinx outdoor recreation in urban green spaces has increased over the past 20 years, research on Latinx outdoor recreation on federal and state public lands has waned. This study synthesizes the literature on public land use and outdoor recreation on federal and state public lands by the Latinx population in the United States to assess the state of knowledge and to strategically identify research needs in Latinx public land use and outdoor recreation. Our analysis reveals that while institutional barriers such as policies, practices, and procedures that favor some ethnic groups over others continue to exist, barriers to access, such as distance to sites, available free time, and knowledge about how to use public lands may be shifting, offering clues that may help guide informed approaches to outdoor recreation management.

scholarly journals Some problems of the management of state and public sector land

2020 ◽  
Vol 171 ◽  
pp. 02003
Author(s):  
Marta Gross ◽  
Ryszard Źróbek
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Real Estate ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Public Lands ◽  
Public Land ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Public Land Management ◽  
Public And Private Sector ◽  
Real Estate Management ◽  
The Relationship

The paper contains chosen problems of the management of state and public sector. The authors described the relationship between public and private sector in real estate management. There is an assumption that public lands are often badly managed. The authors tried to answer why it happens and what are the reasons of that. In the end of the paper some activities to improve public land management were indicated.

scholarly journals Applying the Ecosystem Services Concept to Public Land Management

2013 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey D. Kline ◽  
Marisa J. Mazzotta ◽  
Thomas A. Spies ◽  
Mark E. Harmon
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Land Management ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Land ◽  
Informational Needs ◽  
Public Land Management ◽  
Qualitative Approaches ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Management Paradigms ◽  
Historical Forest

We examine challenges and opportunities involved in applying ecosystem services to public land management with an emphasis on national forests in the United States. We review historical forest management paradigms and related economic approaches, outline a conceptual framework defining the informational needs of forest managers, and consider the feasibility of its application given the types of ecological information typically available and the expanding set of services considered in management decisions. Economists can make their work more relevant to managers by broadening their focus to include qualitative approaches and more directly and effectively collaborating with managers and natural scientists.

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