Agents of Biotic Change

Roundy Timber Sale area, Dixie National Forest, Utah. Photo © 1998 Ray Wheeler.

Although ongoing natural processes such as climate change and historic factors such as native use of fire and arroyo cutting have been agents of biotic change on the Colorado Plateau, today's rapid changes due to human activities may be unprecedented in their impact on biotic communities.

Among the Plateau's forests, forest management policies such as the suppression of wildfire coupled with widespread grazing and intensive logging have led to many unintended consequences. Many agents of change are related to population growth on the Plateau. Development of water resources for irrigation and agriculture has damaged many riparian ecosystems, which are critical to this dry region’s plant and animal life. Mining in some regions has permanently altered landscapes, while more recently, development of coal fields for regional power generation has put additional pressure on the region's natural resources. This growth has strained relationships among peoples of the Plateau who perceive different qualities in the Plateau's landscapes.

There are many ongoing efforts by individuals, organizations, and agencies to try to restore ecosytems and their components on the Colorado Plateau. Fire is being reintroduced into ponderosa forests, and several reintroductions of extirpated species are underway, including an ambitious program to return the California condor to the Grand Canyon region.