洛杉磯又添保護區 聖蓋博山升格國家紀念區 | 環境資訊中心
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洛杉磯又添保護區 聖蓋博山升格國家紀念區

2014年10月29日
摘譯自2014年10月21日ENS美國,華盛頓特區報導;姜唯編譯;蔡麗伶審校

美國總統歐巴馬依《文物法》,運用總統職權在南加州聖蓋博山設立540平方英哩國家保護區(San Gabriel Mountains National Monument)歐巴馬任內總計已經將2億6千萬英畝的土地和水域列為保護區,面積幾乎是1906年以來歷任美國總統的3倍以上。

歐巴馬將聖蓋博山訂為國家保護區。(來源:Daniel Orth)

聖蓋博山峰:洛杉磯天際線 踏青好去處

聖蓋博山峰不僅是洛杉磯的天際線,也提供數百英哩的登山、健行、機車和騎馬步道,還是附近居民的露營園地。除了提供飲用水,聖蓋博山河流供養當地稀有原生魚類,保護區植被則是當地原生野生動物和昆蟲的食物來源,包括農業不可或缺的授粉昆蟲。

聖蓋博山90分鐘路程範圍內,有超過1千5百萬人居住,佔洛杉磯人公共活動空間的70%,提供洛杉磯人飲用水的30%。

新保護區是許多瀕危和敏感物種的重要野外棲地,包括尼爾森大角羊、加州禿鷹、山獅、花斑貓頭鷹和山地黃腿蛙。此外,保護區也有對抗氣候變遷和吸收大氣溫室氣體的作用。

保護區設立後,慈善團體也宣布將協助迅速啟動公眾參與,優先在洛杉磯郡和聖蓋博山展開各種重建計畫。國家森林基金會更宣布捐款3百萬美元給聖蓋博山國家保護區基金,幫助社區工作並資助保護區的重建和守衛。

農業部長和美國林務局投資超過百萬元,用於人員訓練和保護區鐵道和野餐區的養護。

歐巴馬廣設保護區 大幅促進戶外經濟

新保護區和半個洛杉磯國家森林公園重疊。洛杉磯國家森林公園每年有超過4百萬旅遊人次。根據2012年的資料,林務局估計洛杉磯國家森林公園每年貢獻地方經濟3千9百萬元。

歐巴馬已經依文物法,陸續設立或擴張全美12個國家保護區。上個月的中南太平洋偏遠島嶼海洋國家保護區,是全世界最大的完全禁止商業捕撈保護區。

國家魚類和野生動物基金會指出,這些保護區的增加大幅促進戶外經濟,創造約9百萬個工作機會和1兆元的經濟活動。

獨立無黨派研究組織「Headwaters Economics」近期曾針對這些保護區進行分析,發現保護區設立後,地方經濟皆有所成長,無一例外。

President Obama Designates San Gabriel Mountains National Monument
WASHINGTON, DC, October 21, 2014 (ENS)

President Barack Obama has used his authority under the Antiquities Act to establish 540 square miles of national forest land in the San Gabriel Mountains of southern California as a national monument.

With this designation, President Obama has now protected more than 260 million acres of land and water, nearly three times more than any other President since the Antiquities Act became law in 1906.

The peaks of the San Gabriel Mountains frame the Los Angeles skyline and offer hundreds of miles of hiking, mountain biking, motorized, and equestrian trails as well as campgrounds to the area’s diverse residents. In addition to providing drinking water, the San Gabriels’ rivers support rare populations of native fish, while the vegetation found in the monument supports native wildlife and insect species, including pollinators important to farmers.

More than 15 million people live within 90 minutes of the San Gabriel Mountains, which provides 70 percent of the open space for Angeleños and 30 percent of their drinking water.

Building on the monument designation, charitable donors are announcing commitments to help jump-start public involvement and restoration of high-priority projects in Los Angeles County and the new San Gabriel National Monument.

The National Forest Foundation announced a donation of $3 million for the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument Fund to respond to community priorities and support restoration and stewardship of the new national monument.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and the U.S. Forest Service are investing more than a million dollars in additional education staff and maintenance work on the monument’s trails and picnic areas.

The site contains high-quality wilderness areas, habitat for many endangered and sensitive plants and animals including the Nelson’s Bighorn sheep, California condor, mountain lion, spotted owl and the mountain yellow-legged frog. It also defends against climate change, retaining polluting geenhouse gases from the air.

The new monument area overlays about half of the Angeles National Forest, which hosts more than four million visits each year. Based on 2012 data, the U.S. Forest Service estimates that the Angeles National Forest alone contributes more than $39 million to the local economy each year.

President Obama has previously used his authority under the Antiquities Act to create or expand 12 other National Monuments across the country, including the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument in the south-central Pacific Ocean last month – the largest marine reserve in the world that is completely off limits to commercial resource extraction.

All of these efforts support an annual outdoor economy that includes approximately nine million jobs and $1 trillion in economic activity, according to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

A recent study by the independent and nonpartisan research group, Headwaters Economics analyzing the impacts of over a dozen monuments found that, without exception, local economies grew following the monument’s designation.

※ 全文及圖片詳見:ENS

作者

蔡麗伶(LiLing Barricman)

In my healing journey and learning to attain the breath awareness, I become aware of the reality that all the creatures of the world are breathing the same breath. Take action, here and now. From my physical being to the every corner of this out of balance's planet.