The impact of buildings in wildlands of the United States: Limiting development on private lands in national forests has high conservation value

Keywords: Development, biodiversity, protected areas, urbanization, conservation, fragmentation
Session Type: Virtual Poster Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 08:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 09:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 38

Abstract

Development within and near the edges of protected areas undermines their value for biodiversity conservation. Protected areas in the U.S. have been impacted by rapid housing growth since the late 20th century, and to protect biodiversity, the U.S. government has set a goal of expanding protected areas to include 30% of land and water areas by 2030 (known as the '30 x 30’ plan). In this study, we quantified the extent and intensity of human disturbance in wildlands of the conterminous U.S. and assessed development impacts resulting from private inholdings on national forest lands. We used the framework of the “disturbance zone” to map the radius of effects from buildings at three effect distances – 100, 250, and 500 m – using building footprint data. Nearly one-third (29%) of wildlands in the conterminous U.S. were within 500 m of a building, 15% was within 250 m, and 5% was within 100 m. These proportions were higher in the eastern half of the U.S. The extent and intensity of disturbance zones in national forests was lower than in the U.S. overall, with 12% of national forest lands being within 500 m of a building. However, many national forest lands were within 500 m of an inholding, indicating potential for future impacts. Our results identify where opportunities exist to limit development impacts by acquiring private lands into the National Forest system, thereby limiting further biodiversity declines caused by human presence. The 30 x 30 plan provides a political impetus for these acquisitions.