sustainable use of biological diversity.pdf - India Environment Portal

Sustainable use of biological diversity in socio-ecological production landscapes
an effort to increase biodiversity conservation, particularly
on private lands, while encouraging sustainable
rural development. While efforts to pursue
paysage humanisé status in the Estran region are currently
on hold, this active resident-driven process is
an indication of the value the communities place on
their special landscapes (Blattel et al. 2008).
3.5 Appleton Farms – An example of private
governance by a land trust
Land trusts are crucial actors in the protection
and stewardship of landscapes in North America,
particularly in a region like New England (the six
northeastern-most states), where the majority of
land is privately owned. A land trust is a private nongovernmental
organization created with the aim of
conserving land, either through direct acquisition
of properties and/or through negotiation of agreements
with landowners, including legal agreements
(e.g., conservation easements) and other management
agreements (Mitchell 2006). While the land
trust movement originated in New England in the
late nineteenth century, in recent decades the movement
has grown dramatically with the emergence of
new land trusts throughout the United States and
Canada. New networks such as the Canadian Land
Trust Alliance signal the growing importance of the
land trust model in Canada.
Established in 1891, the Trustees of Reservations is
the oldest land trust in the world. With a mission
to preserve, for public use and enjoyment, properties
of exceptional scenic, historic, and ecological value
in Massachusetts, it now serves as a steward of over
nearly 25,000 acres of land throughout the state. The
Trustees of Reservations manages over 100 properties
in Massachusetts, a diverse array of sites protected
for their historic and cultural values, as well
as their natural values (http://www.thetrustees.org/
about-us/our-mission).
An excellent example of one of its properties is
Appleton Farms (Ipswich, Massachusetts), a cultural
landscape sustaining traditional agriculture, including
heritage crops and livestock, as well as, grasslands,
woodlands and wetlands. It claims the mantle
of being America’s “oldest continuously operating
farm” (dating back to 1636), and a portion of the
property is currently under cultivation, with products
marketed locally through an active, extremely
popular Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA)
program.
The Appleton Farms protected landscape plays an
important role in biodiversity conservation, due to
its diversity of habitats, along with its crucial role in
making linkages in the broader landscape to other
adjacent forested and agricultural land. Its grasslands
provide habitat for one of New England’s largest
populations of bobolinks and meadowlarks, and
its wetlands are important for migrating marsh birds
as well as reptiles and amphibians, including certain
rare species. Resident mammals include deer, fox,
coyote, mink and fishers, and the property is important
for migratory birds including several raptor species
(http://www.appletonfarms.org).
Appleton Farms also offers a good example of the
many ways a Satoyama-like landscape can contribute
to “human well-being.” In addition to its role in
nature conservation and environmental services, it
offers many social benefits to the local community,
including place-based education programs, recreational
opportunities (such as trails for walking and
winter sports), and its Community-Supported Agriculture
program.
3.6. Indigenous and Community-Conserved Areas
(ICCAs)
Looking to Mexico, one can find a wide array of
examples of Indigenous and Community Conserved
Areas (ICCAs). Much progress is being made in recognizing
these areas, through recent amendments
to the national legislation to reinforce the status of
© R. Cheek / Courtesy of The Trustees of Reservations
© R. Cheek / Courtesy of The Trustees of Reservations
appleton farms in Massachusetts, a property of the trustees of reservations, is an example of a cultural landscape being
managed by a land trust.
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