Consensus points from 15 November 1995

The following points of consensus emerged during discussions at the 15 November meeting in Middletown. They do not represent all important objectives for biodiversity conservation in Connecticut, nor are they necessarily the most important objectives. They are objectives that those who attended agree are important, but there is not yet any consensus about the relative importance of these or other objectives. This list will be modified, both by expansion and deletion, as the process of defining priorities continues.

• Thinking about Connecticut's biological diversity in a broader regional context is important in setting conservation priorities.
• Rare species are found primarily in rare communities. Protecting rare communities may be a useful focus. Reservations were expressed about the extent to which community classifications based on terrestrial vegetation are adequate indicators for other groups, e.g. insects.
• Atlases of certain benchmark groups, e.g., birds, butterflies, aquatic plants, terrestrial plant communities, provide valuable data for making decisions about biodiversity conservation and should be encouraged.
• Management of conservation areas must allow for change in natural communities. Management to retain early successional habitat will be necessary in some areas. One objective might be to work towards re-establishing "natural" patch dynamics.
• Action must begin now. We understand enough about regionally significant areas to begin moving forward, at least for terrestrial plant communities and species associated with them.
• Work is necessary in several areas that were mentioned only in passing. Working groups with membership that overlaps only partially may be required.

  Public education; outreach

  Implementation; management

  Geographical information systems

  Current activities of private and public conservation agencies

• Large tracts of common habitat should be identified and protected because:

  they protect the few remaining areas in which ecosystem processes proceed with relatively little human influence,

  they provide benchmarks against which to measure our success in managing other areas, and

  they prevent species and communities that are not currently in danger.

This site is maintained by courtesy of the Center for Conservation and Biodiversity at the University of Connecticut

If you have comments or suggestions, please feel free to contact us at CBF@Darwin.EEB.UConn.Edu.

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Last modified: Fri Dec 06 17:29:59 1996