Permanently protecting roadless areas across the Northern Rockies is crucial to preserving the wide diversity of animals and plants found in the region, according to new analysis by The Wilderness Society. The study found that roadless lands serve as "bridges" connecting conservation lands needed by wide-ranging wildlife like bears and elk, and as building blocks for larger areas crucial to native species such as bighorn sheep and golden eagles.
New Landscape Analysis
To assess the contribution of roadless areas to the biodiversity of a conservation reserve, The Wilderness Society's research department conducted a state-of-the-art landscape analysis of the northern Rocky Mountain States of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, as well as a narrower study of the central Idaho ecosystem.
We've documented the results of this analysis in our report, "Roadless Areas: The Missing Link in Conservation." The report makes a compelling case for permanent protection of inventoried roadless areas and their integration into national forest management plans. The study demonstrates that protection of national forest roadless areas, when added to existing federal conservation lands in the study area, would:
- Increase the amount and diversity of protected wildlife habitat;
- Help protect rare species-rich habitat and declining vegetation communities, such as aspen, whitebark pine, and sagebrush-grasslands;
- Help protect remaining lower elevation lands-and their resident species-which have been greatly altered by road construction, settlement and resource extraction activities; and,
- Connect conservation units, many of which have been established for their scenic and recreational values, to form larger, more cohesive blocks of habitat.
The Wilderness Society is already using the results of this study to help the Forest Service and other land managers and researchers fully assess the relationship between wildlands and conservation. We'll distribute the results as part of our continuing effort to educate decision-makers about the tangible values of roadless area protection.
