Subchapter D. POLICIES FOR NATURAL AREAS

§ 9.301. Background.

 (a)  The main effort by the Commonwealth to achieve and maintain a desired level of environmental quality has been in response to existing and potential pollution of the air, land and water resources vital to the health and welfare of the general public. Periodic crises created by conflicts between unplanned human activities and the finite assimilative capacities of these natural resources have done much to shape environmental priorities. The need for clean air and water and values derived from them is immediate and clear. However, the continued maintenance of the environmental quality of this Commonwealth requires a broadening of this environmental perspective to include other needs that may not be as immediate or conspicuous to most people as air and water pollution but that are equally important in the long term. One such aspect is the need to retain the diversity of the natural heritage of this Commonwealth.

 (b)  The natural environment of this Commonwealth has undergone dramatic transformation since 1776. The abundant natural resources found throughout this Commonwealth served as economic stimulants for statewide growth and development. Today, Pennsylvania is the fourth most populous state in the Union, the second-ranking industrial state, the third largest producer of coal, and the fourth in mineral production. This level of growth and intensity of resource use in a state ranked 33rd in land area has had a significant impact on the composition and character of the original environment. Only about 2.0% of the presettlement landscape remains essentially unaltered or has reestablished a biological composition similar to presettlement conditions.

 (c)  From this small percentage of relatively undisturbed land and from those lands where natural conditions have been restored are sites containing components of the natural diversity of this Commonwealth commonly referred to as natural areas. A natural area is a tract of land or water or a combination of land and water, containing representative or unusual communities or ecosystems of plants and animals, rare and endangered species or outstanding geologic, hydrologic or topographic features. These areas are in public or private ownership, are managed primarily to maintain natural processes, and are of scientific or educational interest. Together natural areas should provide a system of protected reserves for preserving all components of natural diversity in this Commonwealth. Natural areas include but are not limited to such things as the following:

   (1)  Habitats of rare, threatened or endangered plant and animal species.

   (2)  Unique, unusual or outstanding concentrations or diversities of plants or animals.

   (3)  Representative examples of plant or animal communities of presettlement origin or present day conditions.

   (4)  Geologic and hydrologic features of special interest.

   (5)  Topographic features illustrative of representative or unique biogeological patterns.

 (a)  Natural areas provide scientific sites for the research needs of present and future generations. Many natural areas have the natural quality to serve as baseline study areas for monitoring environmental changes of other ecosystems and for analyzing cause and effect relationships. These sites serve as a basis for assessing the effects of pollutants, measuring the accumulation of pesticides, herbicides, and toxic agents in the environment, and evaluating the effects of timber management practices and the impacts of urban development.

 (b)  It is becoming increasingly important that a wide range of wild plant and animal species should be preserved for their potential utility as breeding stock to improve the genetic linkage of domestic species, as predators and parasites for biological control, as potential resources for industrial, pharmaceutical, and agricultural purposes, and for other uses yet unknown to man. New improvements in science and technology may some day enable man to tap now undiscovered values that these species possess. Natural areas can provide the environment for the proliferation of natural diversity and protection of gene pools.

 (c)  Natural areas inherently maintain quality air and water resources, facilitate aquifer recharge, minimize soil erosion and enhance soil fertility, and influence micro-climate extremes. Translated into human benefits, natural areas often can provide limited, but critical, aid in flood control and in reducing flood damages, in conserving soil resources and reducing stream siltation, and in maintaining assimilative capacities of air and water resources.

 (d)  In recent years, there has been an effort to broaden the scope of educational programs to give added emphasis to the relationship between man and his environment. A key element in achieving this educational goal is to have accurate data gained from natural areas to illustrate the functioning of natural processes in undisturbed ecosystems. Since this learning process is aided by onsite classes, the knowledge of essential elements will enable educators to locate and use for class purposes unprotected sites with similar features adequate for educational purposes.

 (e)  Those natural areas more tolerant to human disturbances provide an environment for leisure pursuits such as hiking, bird watching and nature study. An uncounted but probably great offsite value accrues to many citizens from the awareness that there exist areas where elements of natural diversity and heritage are preserved.

 (f)  Natural areas are an important component of the existing land use in this Commonwealth and can be determinants for guiding future growth and development in many areas. The incorporation of natural areas in the decision making process aids in planning for more environmentally sensitive land use patterns.

POLICIES FOR NATURAL AREAS

§ 9.311. Natural areas policy statement.

 (a)  It shall be the environmental policy of the Commonwealth to protect the scientific, educational, aesthetic and environmental values of natural areas and to see that the biologic, ecologic, geologic and physical attributes of the natural areas are held in trust for the benefit of present and future generations.

 (a)  There is an increasing concern at the Federal and State government levels and in the public and private sectors to preserve components of our natural heritage. A multitude of agencies, organizations and groups in this Commonwealth have acquired and secured a variety of land in which natural processes are allowed to predominate, commonly referred to as natural areas.

 (b)  Generally, there has been a limited effort to distinguish the relative importance that these areas may possess in completing a composite of natural areas having Statewide significance. While working is continuing on the identification or evaluation of such factors as quality, size, uniqueness, or diversity to distinguish those natural areas having Statewide significance, there is no overall direction to assist agencies and organizations to identify and acquire additional areas of Statewide significance, nor does there exist the means of fully protecting these areas for perpetuity.

 (c)  A meaningful and effective Statewide system of natural areas can only be attained through the cooperation and coordination of ongoing government and nongovernment activities. Therefore, it shall be the Environmental Policy of the Commonwealth to actively promote and utilize public, quasi-public, and private efforts to identify, designate, protect and manage natural areas having Statewide significance.

 (a)  Not all lands designated as natural areas are of Statewide importance. Programs at the regional and local levels are instrumental in the development of an overall Commonwealth effort to protect elements of our natural heritage.

 (b)  The success of subState programs to identify, designate and preserve natural areas will depend upon State initiatives to help public and private agencies at the regional and local level to attain natural area goals and objectives. Therefore, it shall be the Environmental Policy of the Commonwealth to provide leadership and support in the identification, designation, and protection of natural areas of less than Statewide importance.

 A comprehensive Statewide natural areas program to identify, protect and preserve elements of natural diversity must include a consideration for those areas containing rare, threatened or endangered plant or animal species. In recent years there has been a growing concern to identify these species, regulate their use, and maintain habitat conditions necessary for their survival. Most of the effort has been focused on those species of national significance listed in the Federal Register. The realization of a sound, comprehensive, Statewide natural areas system will require increased involvement and concern by the Commonwealth to strengthen State activities concerning rare, threatened, and endangered species of Statewide importance. Therefore, it shall be the Environmental Policy of the Commonwealth to continue to identify and protect the rare, threatened, and endangered species of this Commonwealth and to intensify efforts to protect and maintain the habitats of these species.

 One of the highest uses for which natural areas are best suited is scientific research. Natural areas are valuable as environmental baseline areas to be used in monitoring long-term environmental changes, as outdoor laboratories for furthering knowledge and understanding of complex ecological processes, and as a basis for evaluating resource management practices and techniques. Research activities in natural areas also will provide useful information necessary for the development of natural area protection and management strategies. Therefore, it shall be the Environmental Policy of the Commonwealth to encourage natural area research for better understanding impacts of man’s activities on the environment and for guiding the protection and management of natural areas.

 (a)  A firm understanding of the natural history of this Commonwealth is an important component in the development and maintenance of a Statewide system of natural areas. Without it, the assessment of what is unique, rare, unusual, endangered or threatened becomes difficult and more subjective than objective. Information as to the Statewide distribution of presettlement vegetation and wildlife and changes which periodically have taken place since then forms an important component of the natural history of this Commonwealth.

 (b)  Sources that would begin to form an overall composite of the flora and fauna of this Commonwealth exist, but little has been done to consolidate these sources and to fill those voids where information is needed. Therefore, it shall be the Environmental Policy of the Commonwealth to undertake and maintain a biological survey of this Commonwealth to ascertain the composition and distribution of plants and animals in this Commonwealth.

 (a)  Natural areas often represent those remnant portions of this Commonwealth least impacted by human activities. In relationship to the entire State, these areas represent a relatively small acreage and are usually located in the more remote regions. As such, they are most likely to share the surrounding environs with large scale development activities such as timber harvesting, strip mining, dams and reservoirs or energy complexes.

 (b)  Many of the potential conflicts between these opposing uses of the land can be resolved early in the planning stages if the value of natural areas is recognized within institutional mechanisms at the State and local level and by industry and other private concerns. Therefore, it shall be the Environmental Policy of the Commonwealth to promote environmentally sensitive land and water planning throughout all levels of government and in the private sector to ensure the protection of natural areas.

   This section cited in 25 Pa. Code §  9.311 (relating to natural areas policy statement).