Ep. 281 - Sustainable Recreation & Plant Conservation

In Defense of Plants Podcast

In Defense of Plants

Botany, Natural Sciences, Ecology, Nature, Plants, Science

4.8 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 6 September 2020

⏱️ 67 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

There are many ways to make hiking one of the most sustainable and environmentally friendly activities on Earth, but building trails on rare and unique plant communities is not one of them. Sensitive plants and habitats can be destroyed in the blink of an eye by trampling, which is why any good trail system needs to put plant conservation at the forefront. This is exactly what we are talking about in this episode. Nestled in the northwestern corner of North Carolina are the Amphibolite Mountains. Their unique geology has resulted in a bewildering diversity of special and sensitive plant communities that were the reason many of these peaks have been protected as biodiversity hot spots. Sadly, a proposed trail system is threatening these survival of these plant communities. Joining us to talk about this is Dr. Matt Estep, a plant conservation geneticist at Appalachian State University. Tune in as we discuss why the proponents of this trail system need to bring ecologists and conservationists into the planning process to avoid destroying what makes these mountains so special. This podcast was produced in part by Brittany, Helen, Amanda, Mikey, Rhiannon, Michelle, Kate, German, Joerg, Alejandra, Cathy, Jordan, Judy, Steve, Kae, Carole, Mr. Keith Santner, Dana, Chloe, Aaron, Sara, Kenned, Vaibhav, Kendall, Christina, Brett, Jocelyn, Kathleen, Ethan, Kaylee, Runaway Goldfish, Ryan, Donica, Chris, Shamora, Alana, Laura, Alice, Sarah, Rachel, Joanna, Griff, Philip, Paul, Matthew, Clark, Bobby, Kate, Steven, Brittney, McMansion Hell, Joey, Catherine, Brandon, Hall, Vegreville Creek and Wetlands Fund, Kevin, Oliver, John, Johansson, Christina, Jared, Hannah, Katy Pye, Brandon, Gwen, Carly, Stephen, Botanical Tours, Moonwort Studios, Liba, Mohsin Kazmi Takes Pictures, doeg, Clifton, Stephanie, Benjamin, Eli, Rachael, Plant By Design, Philip, Brent, Ron, Tim, Homestead Brooklyn, Brodie, Kevin, Sophia, Mark, Rens, Bendix, Irene, Holly, Caitlin, Manuel, Jennifer, Sara, and Margie.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Would you like more In Defensive Plants each month?
0:02.7	Well, you're in luck.
0:03.7	Indefensive Plants is now offering bonus mini episodes over at our Patreon page.
0:08.1	To find out how you can gain access to this bonus botanical content, head on over to patreon.com
0:13.1	slash Indefensive Plants and consider becoming a patron.
0:16.7	And as always, thank you for your continued support of Indefensive Plants.
0:20.3	Together we are helping cure plant blindness around the world one episode at a time.
0:26.3	Hello, everyone, and welcome to the In Defensive Plants Podcast, the official podcast of
0:30.7	Indefensiveplants.com.
0:32.1	What's up? This is your host, Matt. Welcome to the show. How's everyone doing this week?
0:36.1	Today's episode presents a unique conundrum for
0:38.2	everyone. As we become increasingly disconnected from natural spaces, it is more important than ever
0:43.6	to get people outside and seeing nature for the beauty and wonder that it contains. But we must do
0:48.7	this in an intelligent way, in a way that's not going to hurt nature in the process. And that's what
0:53.9	our topic of discussion
0:54.8	is all about. The amphibolite mountains are located in northwestern North Carolina, and they are home to
1:00.2	some amazing plant communities, many of which are housing some extremely rare species that are found
1:05.4	nowhere else in the world. Back in the 70s, the Nature Conservancy identified many parts of them as
1:10.3	natural heritage sites
1:11.6	and protected many of the peaks of the amphibolite mountains to ensure that these plant communities and all of the ecology that they sustain can be preserved well into the future.
1:21.6	But the health and well-being of these plant communities is coming under threat, and it's not from a mine, it's not from logging, it's actually from a trail that's being proposed.
1:30.3	An outdoor recreation group is trying to install a trail system that will link many of these peaks.
	...

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