The MAB Program United States of America
Biosphere Reserve Information - General Description
New Jersey Pinelands
General Description
The New Jersey Pinelands
Biosphere Reserve is situated in the urbanized northeastern United States and
consists of a mosaic of upland, wetland and aquatic environments. Wildfires have
been favoring a pygmy forest of pitch pine (Pinus rigida), blackjack, and scrub
oaks. The wetlands provide suitable habitats for most of the rare and endangered
plant and animal species of the region.
The pinelands have already been intensively used by man before the colonization.
Resource-related industries dominated the early Colonial and post-Revolutionary
period. Conventional agricultural activities continue to be found at the
periphery of the region, while cranberry and blueberry agriculture is important
economic enterprises in the central part. The cultivated blueberry was first
established here early in this century.
The biosphere reserve was designated within the framework of the Pinelands
Comprehensive Management Plan and represents one of the first formal attempts at
large-scale regional ecosystem management in the United States. In several ways,
it represents a test case on whether multiple jurisdictions could come together
and achieve an agreement to mitigate development impacts on regional ecosystems
crossing jurisdictional boundaries. In order to examine the implementation of
the biosphere reserve concept, a statistical analysis was used to assess claims
that the plan has managed to direct growth and land cover change in a manner
consistent with environmental objectives. The results indicate that the plan has
indeed had a strong conservation effect in reducing conversion of natural areas
in the biosphere reserve.
A Pinelands Research Council, representing academic and governmental
organizations, has devised a plan to guide researchers and funding sources in
priority research needs. A long-term ecological and economic monitoring
program has been developed to measure the effectiveness of the plan as it
unfolds.
Last updated: 06/27/2005