scarce vs local

Mark Walker MWalker at gensym.com
Thu Aug 24 03:09:02 EDT 2000


Not to downplay the justifiable concern for those species that are hanging
on for dear life - but I am often driven to glee when I stumble on an
explosion of butterflies I had previously considered "scarce".  In terms of
population dynamics, insects do often prove that we really haven't always
gotten our facts straight.  Weather conditions, coupled with other factors
that I don't know that we really understand, almost any species may tend to
enjoy very good moments of reproduction.

Again, I'm not suggesting that there are NO species of concern.  I would,
however, continue to insist that these will always be coupled with a
corresponding scarcity of habitat.

What the heck - I didn't have anything else better to do tonight than to
toss in my one-and-a-half centavos.  I had to eat in the bar, and I didn't
feel like Karaoke.

Mark Walker
visiting Sonora, CA

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kondla, Norbert FOR:EX [mailto:Norbert.Kondla at gems3.gov.bc.ca]
> Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2000 9:44 AM
> To: 'lepsl'
> Subject: scarce vs local
> 
> 
> My take on this issue of scarce vs local butterflies is that 
> it is a real
> and fundamentally important distinction when discussing degrees of
> endangerment or non-endangerment of butterflies.  Scale is especially
> important when reflecting on local vs widespread.  for 
> example a species may
> occupy a substantial absolute area of several hundred square
> miles/kilometres with very healthy populations that are not 
> under any kind
> of threat.  But if you 'assess' this species within the 
> context of a large
> country that occupies millions of square miles/kilometres 
> then it would be
> deemed to be 'local' and hence some people may be deceived into
> automatically thinking that it is a subject of conservation concern. 
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Norbert Kondla  P.Biol., RPBio.
> Forest Ecosystem Specialist, Ministry of Environment
> 845 Columbia Avenue, Castlegar, British Columbia V1N 1H3
> Phone 250-365-8610
> Mailto:Norbert.Kondla at gems3.gov.bc.ca       
> http://www.env.gov.bc.ca
> 


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