The Wildland Urban interface is a concept of increasingly growing importance as urban/residential areas expand to accommodate increasing populations and begin to infiltrate and grow alongside areas of wilderness. Many issues coincide with this increased interface with the activities of humanity influencing the life and flourishing of those patches of wilderness that surround populations. These issues require urgent ethical and practical solutions as community leaders are faced with the question of where the value of nature lies and how communities should interact with the nature surrounding them. Specifically I will address here the issue of public health and safety as well as the issue of forest preservation associated with the wildland-urban interface.
Wildfire plagues many areas of wildland urban interface and represent an immediate danger for public health. When considering the interface between humanity and nature it is important to consider what should be prioritized in terms of actions to take. For humanity, then, the lives of other humans and the general public health of communities should be prioritized first especially in regards to the massive danger of wildfires. This is shown as a grave issue in how "more than 46 million residencies in 70000 WUI communities in the United States are currently at risk for wildfire (Manzello, 2014)" as explained by the US Fire Administration in their exploration of the WUI in June 2022. Some solutions for aiding in those potentially affected include increased education and enforcement in WUI areas to ensure the knowledge of the dangers of wildfire smoke and the importance of fire safety in such high-risk areas.
https://www.wsaw.com/2023/04/13/red-flag-warning-issued-central-southern-wisconsin/
Additionally, when considering important issues for the WUI we should consider the importance of preserving such inherently beautiful and necessary spaces as forest areas. Even without agreeing with the inherent value of wildland, leaders must recognize the value to humanity in having areas for
psychological well being associated with the presence of such natural beauty. We see here the issue that those leaders and managers protecting large areas of forest are unable to effectively mitigate wildfire threats resulting in large areas of wildlife destruction due to the immense power of forest fires. To aid in this issue, I would ensure unilateral cooperation throughout States to provide more effective mitigation of wildfire threats ensuring that those areas of the WUI associated with increased wildfire risk would be more aggressively protected with greater resources dedicated to each forest individually to ensure prevention rather than the unlikely control of such powerful fires.
https://www.epa.gov/arc-x/climate-adaptation-particulate-matter-and-health
These issues of increased risk to humanity and wildlife associated with the areas of wildland-urban interface bring us to the discussion of the morality of living near wilderness while also protecting the wilderness and whether this is even possible. I suggest here a continuation of the precedent set by the national park and wildlife conservation systems in dedicating spaces completely to wildlife with no possibility of encroachment into the land by residential or urban increase. This strategy has shown to be somewhat effective but additionally we must further protect this wildlife against the threat of invasive species and ecological decline associated with human presence. This could be accomplished by providing boundaries and connecting
"bridges" to protected ecosystems ensuring that species are allowed to thrive. Ultimately humanity must be able to participate in nature and I believe it is possible to be among wilderness and protect wilderness as long as we are committed to the importance of protecting and preserving it in addition to enjoying it. Regardless of our association with the decline of other species, human intelligence and resilience is more than enough to take part in the nature we come from and furthermore to right the wrongs that we have done by using our unique intelligence to reverse the trends of decreasing biodiversity.
You identify wildfires as a key issue, advocating for increased education about fire safety and smoke hazards. Enhancing resources for individual forests to prevent wildfires, rather than controlling them, is a practical solution. You argue for the preservation of natural spaces, both for their intrinsic value and the psychological well-being they provide humans. You propose expanding the principles of national parks and wildlife conservation to these areas, protecting against invasive species and ecological decline.
ReplyDeleteHey John,
ReplyDeleteI agree wholeheartedly with your take on leaders needing to understand the psychological effect of wildland. You also did a great job conveying the risk that wildfires pose communities in the WUI. I enjoy how you ended the blog by reminding us that our intelligence may have lead us to such problems, but it also gives us the ability to rectify them.
Hi John! I also wrote about the risks of wildfires for WUI communities. I liked your solution to educate the communities on the dangers of wildfires. My solution of creating a wildfire protection plan was similar in that it also requires education. How would you enforce this and make sure everyone in the community is educated?
ReplyDeleteHi John
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you putting an emphasis on the psychological impact that being in nature has on all of us. I very much agree that this aspect of nature being a more definable quality that relates the value of nature to those who may otherwise see it as a resource to be plundered. I did however want to mention an idea that I came across recently, that being the decrease in the potency of the psychological impacts of being in nature when many of our natural areas are so heavily trafficked already (Mt. Everest now often has a queue for waiting to get to the summit!) and thus the great outdoors have become more like any other attraction. Is this an argument that you find has merit and, if so, do you think there is a way to keep this psychological value while using nature for recreation?