Biodiversity
Conservation & PreservationDELAWARE BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION & PRESERVATION
For thousands of years Delaware’s natural areas have been affected by humans. However, it was not until the arrival of European settlers in 1600’s that major changes to the landscape truly began. To provide resources needed by these early colonists, forests were cut, wetlands drained, and rivers dammed. These human activities changed the land and adversely affected the biodiversity. In the late 1800’s the industrial revolution – and the resulting mechanized agriculture and increased water and air pollution, along with a burgeoning human population and residential and commercial development –
put even more pressure on Delaware’s natural world. Many of these same pressures remain today, and new issues such as climate change and sea level rise continue to threaten Delaware’s remaining natural lands and biodiversity.
The number one threat to biodiversity in Delaware is habitat loss and degradation. Delaware’s population continues to rise and the need for recreational, residential, and commercial space is leading to the development of much of the remaining open space. Hundreds of acres of open and forested land are being converted every year to suit these human needs. Continued sea level rise will also result in the loss or change of Delaware’s coastal habitats. The combined effects of these human-caused activities will result in the loss or modification of habitats and negatively affect populations of native plants and animals, often diminishing and sometimes eliminating species from our state. There are many local, county, state, and private efforts to combat this assault on Delaware’s biodiversity. Many of our best habitats can be found in Delaware State Forests, Parks, and Wildlife Areas and on land owned and protected by private organizations. However, these protected lands and conservation programs are not enough to assure that Delaware’s biodiversity will thrive into the future.
We must do more! You can engage in conservation efforts to maintain Delaware’s plants and animals and the habitats where they live.
CONSERVATION & PRESERVATION EXAMPLES
a. Federal: Executive Order 13112 – Invasive Species b. State: Delaware State Senate Bill 22 c. County: New Castle County Executive Order No. 2018-10 d. Local – Wilmington: Per ARTICLE IV. Sec. 11-102. – Government owned parks and open space (b) of the city of Wilmington Code of Ordinances the city will “Where appropriate, comply with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service — Delaware Conservation Practice Standards for Riparian Forest Buffer, Code 391, May 2001, or as amended in the future.”The Time to Act is Now
- Acquire and manage as much natural land as possible through private and government conservation organizations.
- Increase the acreage that is held in Delaware’s conservation easement programs.
- Develop and carry out progressive and effective conservation management programs that target species of greatest conservation concern on all protected land.
- Incentivize landowners and developers to adopt conservation values and practices.
- Adopt laws and regulations at all governmental levels that conserve natural habitats and the biodiversity they maintain.
- Create and fund shoreline resiliency programs along our coast to mitigate sea level rise.
- Create and fund strategies to control invasive non-native species on natural lands.
- Encourage and incentivize residential communities to conserve and manage open space for biodiversity.
- Encourage homeowners to improve local biodiversity by using more native plants in their landscapes.
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