Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability 1

National parks and preservesNational forests(and Xs) National wildlife refugesFigure 11-6 Natural capital: national forests, national parks, and wildlife refuges managed by the U.S. federalgovernment. U.S. citizens jointly own these and other public lands. (Data from U.S. Geological Survey)A third system consists of 542 National WildlifeRefuges that are managed by the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService (USFWS). Most refuges protect habitats andbreeding areas for waterfowl and big game to providea harvestable supply for hunters; a few protect endangeredspecies from extinction. Permitted activities inmost refuges include hunting, trapping, fishing, oiland gas development, mining, logging, grazing, somemilitary activities, and farming.Uses of other public lands are more restricted. Oneexample is the National Park System managed by theNational Park Service (NPS). It includes 56 major parks(mostly in the West) and 331 national recreation areas,monuments, memorials, battlefields, historic sites,198 CHAPTER 11 Sustaining Terrestrial Biodiversity: Managing and Protecting Ecosystems