Sudbury Valley TrusteesConservation, Collaboration, and Community since 1953

No Refuge is an Island:  Why we need to and how we can shift our conservation model to include active management beyond the edge of our refuges.

Global climate change, outbreaks of introduced diseases and invasive species, and animal migrations that cross jurisdictional boundaries:  these and many other large-scale conservation issues often threaten native species within the world's largest protected areas.

In suburban Massachusetts, it is particularly evident that the model of purchasing and declaring land to be a "refuge" is no guarantee that the animal and plant populations inhabiting these refuges are adequately protected.  Using examples drawn primarily from populations of native amphibians and reptiles, Bryan will discuss some of the threats faced by native species in small refuges and some of the opportunities that may be available in adopting a different conservation model: active management to protect vulnerable species whose ranges include land held by many different owners.

Bryan is a herpetologist and environmental consultant specializing in the conservation of amphibian and reptile species. Get directions to Wolbach Farm here.

 

Fee: Members: $5, Non-members: $15

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