Landscape Assessment of the Degree of Protection of Alaska's Terrestrial Biodiversity

Abstract: We assessed the degree to which Alaskan lands reflect the state's biodiversity by dividing the entire state into four categories of land protection ranging from highly protected to minimally protected in terms of potential for future development. We then compared the percentage of each ecoregion and plant-cover type in each land protection class. We assumed that 12% protection represents an acceptable minimum and examined the percentage of site records of rare plants in protected and unprotected areas. Of 28 ecoregions in Alaska, 15 (63.4%) have <12% of their area in highly protected areas. Similarly, 11 of 21 vegetation-cover types (43.7%) have <12% protection. For 32 rare vascular plants, an average of 27% of records occur on highly protected lands. Seventy-five percent of the rare plants had <50% of their records from highly protected lands. Less than 1% of Alaska has been permanently altered by human activity. In contrast to the lower 48 states, time remains to plan development that preserves biodiversity while permitting an economically sustainable economy—if the effort is made now.