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Reprinted with permission from
Beaver Hills Initiative
Ecological Primer — What Makes the Beaver Hills So Special?

The Landscape: Sustaining the Beaver Hills

Sustainability in the ecological sense refers to the ability of an area to continue to exist as a vigorous, biologically diverse ecosystem regulated by natural processes. Sustainable ecosystems change through time, but continue to be dominated by native species, even when conditions on surrounding lands have changed to a more developed state.

Sustainability from a socio-economic standpoint has a similar definition. A sustainable area would be able to maintain an economically diverse base that would be able to respond to changing markets. It would also continue to support a healthy residential environment by fostering a high quality of life.

In the Beaver Hills, quality of life and at least some of the economic potential is closely tied to the natural state of the area. To manage sustainability in this case, the natural ecosystem, the economic potential and social factors must all be considered. There must be a balance between development and ecological function, so that one does not diminish the ability of the other to persist. Understanding the factors regulating the natural system will be an important first step in setting management goals for a sustainable Beaver Hills.