Addressing the Early-Successional Habitat Needs of At-Risk Species on Privately Owned Lands in the Eastern United States

John A. Litvaitis, Jeffery L. Larkin, Darin J. McNeil, Don Keirstead and Bridgett Costanzo
Additional contact information
John A. Litvaitis: Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
Jeffery L. Larkin: Department of Biology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA 15705, USA
Darin J. McNeil: Department of Environmental Sciences, University of North Carolina—Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA
Don Keirstead: Natural Resources Conservation Service, Dover, NH 03820, USA
Bridgett Costanzo: Working Lands for Wildlife, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington, DC 20250, USA

Land, 2021, vol. 10, issue 11, 1-16

Abstract: Public lands alone are insufficient to address the needs of most at-risk wildlife species in the U.S. As a result, a variety of voluntary incentive programs have emerged to recruit private landowners into conservation efforts that restore and manage the habitats needed by specific species. We review the role of one such effort, Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW), initiated by the Natural Resources Conservation Service in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Using two at-risk species in the eastern U.S. (where private lands dominate), we show the substantial potential that WLFW has for restoring and maintaining needed habitats. Monitoring how effective these efforts are on populations of the target species has been challenging, and both monitoring and implementation are being modified in response to new information. Identifying landowner motivations is essential for developing long-term relationships and conservation success. As WLFW projects develop, they are moving toward a more holistic ecosystem approach, within which the conservation goals of at-risk species are embedded.

Keywords: at-risk species; golden-winged warbler; landowner incentives; New England cottontail; Natural Resources Conservation Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Working Lands for Wildlife (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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