Draft Ecosystem Alternatives Sample Clauses

Draft Ecosystem Alternatives. Protection of natural, undeveloped land in the Lake Erie basin is the most effective way to return Lake Erie to a more pristine state. Of the management levers examined in the model, those that affect the availability of natural, undisturbed land cause the largest response across the greatest number of variables. Therefore, the availability of natural lands is the key driver of the ecosystem clusters. Nutrient levels are the second most important influence but do not have the impact that natural land (habitat) has on the ecosystem. In other words, phosphorus can be strictly managed, but unless natural land or habitat is protected and restored, only marginal response will be seen by many components of the ecosystem. Therefore, the ecosystem alternatives derived from the model will be described based on their gain in natural land compared to the status quo conditions of the 1990s. Therefore, of the management levers, land use practices and phosphorus (or nutrient) management will have the most impact on improving Lake Erie. From the clustering exercise, seven distinct groups (ecosystem alternatives) emerged. Three groups represented highly degraded environmental conditions relative to present (1990), while four represented existing or improved environmental conditions. Only the latter four groups are considered viable ecosystem alternatives for a future state of Lake Erie. Ecosystem alternative #4 (ECA#4) represents the status quo, or existing conditions. ECA#1 represents a moderate gain in natural lands from the status quo. ECA#2 represents a high gain in natural lands, and ECA#3 represents low gain of natural land. A more detailed description of the impact on ecosystem health and human uses associated with each ECA based on the management actions implemented is presented in Table 3.1. These alternative states, or ecosystem alternatives, are pictures of what the Lake Erie environment could be depending on how and to what extent the human population is willing to adjust future land use needs. Many combinations of management actions are possible to achieve each ecosystem alternative. Each of the ecosystem alternatives presented serve to only broadly group the management actions that could be implemented to obtain them. The ecosystem objectives that will subsequently be developed under the preferred ecosystem alternative will contain more specific language to guide management actions. The Lake Erie Systems Model assumes that toxic contaminants will be managed ...