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The southwestern deserts stretch from southeastern California to west Texas and then south to central Mexico. The landscape of this region is known as basin and range topography featuring to “sky islands” of forest rising from the desert lowlands which creates a uniquely diverse ecology. The region is further complicated by an international border, where governments have caused difficulties for many animal populations. This book puts a spotlight on individual research projects which are specific examples of work being done in the area and when they are all brought together, to shed a general light of understanding the biological and cultural resources of this vast region so that those same resources can be managed as effectively and efficiently as possible. The intent is to show that collaborative efforts among federal, state agency, university, and private sector researchers working with land managers, provides better science and better management than when scientists and land managers work independently.
The Organic Act of 1916 created the National Park Service "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." Each national park or monument offers a glimpse into the natural beauty and history of the United States. These parks have a variety of natural resources covering large areas and are protected by the American Antiquities Act of 1906. Saguaro National Park is home to its namesake giant saguaro cacti, barrel cacti, cholla cacti, and prickly pears, as well as quail, spotted owls, javelinas, and a host of other flora and fauna. Saguaro National Monument was created by outgoing president Herbert Hoover in 1933. On October 14, 1994, Pres. William Jefferson Clinton signed legislation enlarging Saguaro's boundaries and making Saguaro National Park America's 52nd national park.
In comparison to the vegetation of most of temperate North America, the southwestern deserts contain highly unusual plants adapted in form and function to the extremes of arid environments. So striking are some of these plants that three national monuments-Saguaro, Organ Pipe Cactus, and Joshua Tree-are named for them. In each case, it is a single species that gives unique character to the desert landscape within the monument. Of all the remarkable plants of the desert Southwest, the giant cactus, or saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea), stands out in the minds of many Americans as an icon representing the novelty and grandeur of the desert realm. Saguaro National Monument (SAGU) was established in 1933 on the east side of Tucson, Arizona, to protect what was then one of the most awe-inspiring stands of saguaros to be found anywhere in the Sonoran Desert. Yet today, little more than a half century later, the giant, manybranched saguaros have all but disappeared from the original "cactus forest" of the 1930s (Fig. 1). Since the primary mission of National Park Service (NPS) at SAGU is to protect the distinctive cactus species for which the monument was named, the saguaro has understandably been the subject of considerable concern and research at SAGU since the late 1930s. The purpose of this report is to (1) trace the development of various research and monitoring efforts involving the saguaro at SAGU, (2) evaluate the rationale for these investigations, and (3) examine some of the impacts of these research efforts on management decisions and public perceptions regarding the ecological status of this extraordinary plant.