THE 21 MOST ENDANGERED ECOSYSTEMS OF THE UNITED STATES South Florida landscape Southeren Appalachia spruce-fir forest Longleaf pine forest and savanna (the southeastern U.S., including Texas) Eastern grasslands and barrens Northwestern grasslands and savannas California native grasslands Coastal communities in the lower 48 states and Hawaii Southwestern riparian forests Southern California coastal Hawaiian dry forest Large streams and rivers in the lower 48 states and Hawaii Caves and karst (a region that is underlain by limestone) systems (caves and karst systems in Texas are included) Tall grass prairie California riparian forest and wetlands Florida scrub Ancient Eastern deciduous forests Ancient forest of the Pacific Northwest Ancient red and white pine forests, Great Lakes States Ancient ponderosa pine forest Midwestern wetlands Southeren forested wetlands (this includes Texas' forested wetlands) Source: U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) and Sierra Club, Wildlife Needs Places: The State of Disappearing Species and Their Habitat, [Washington DC, 1997], 12.

Today the overwhelming majority of losses of, and threats to, wildlife, plants, and natural communities are a direct result of habitat alteration, fragmentation, or destruction, caused by urbanization, development, timber production, reservoirs,agriculture, and the introduction of non-native species. ^*

A Texas Parks and Wildlife Deparment report entitled Endangered Resources: Annual Status Report identified the following habitat losses in Texas:

• all but a fraction of the prairies of central and coastal Texas have been converted to farmland, and as a result the Attwater's Prairie Chicken is on the brink of extinction and Texas Prairie Dawn, a plant of the coastal prairies, is now rare
• river bottom hardwood forests in Texas have been reduced from 16 to 6 million acres and longleaf pine forests have nearly all been cut-over. As a result of these changes, Texas Trailing Phlox and many other plants are rare, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker is gone from Texas, and the Red-cockaded Woodpecker is threatened with the same fate
• the original grasslands of South Texas have been lost to brush invasion, the grassland-dependent Aplomado Falcon disappeared from Texas, the Slender Rush-Pea is endangered, and the South Texas Ambrosia has become rare
• sub-tropical woodlands of the Rio Grande Valley have been converted to farmlands and citrus plantations, resulting in near-extinction of the Ocelot in Texas and increasing rarity for many plants, such as the Texas Ayenia
• ground water pumping in West Texas and dam construction throughout the state have modified springs and rivers so that species such as the Amistad Gambusia and Phantom Shiner are extinct, and many other species, such as the Puzzle Sunflower, are rare
• urbanization and land clearing in Central Texas have destroyed and fragmented woodland habitat of the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler, along with several rare plants.^*

In Texas, 133 million acres of wildlife habitat remain. This includes longleaf pine forests, bottomland hardwoods of East Texas;  tall grass prairies, Hill Country canyon forests rivers and springs;Llano Uplift granite outcrops;Texas brush lands and riparian corridors of SouthTexas Brush land.

According to a report "Conservation Priorities for Texas: A Guide to Ten Threatened Areas in the Lone Star State,"issued by the Natural Area Preservation Association and Environmental Defense, fifty percent of the land set aside for conservation in Texas is located in two counties in West Texas--Brewsterand Presidio Counties. The report also notes that though polls of Texans reflect a strong desire for more wild and scenic lands, little money is devoted by private or public sector to acquiire such lands.^*

The 2001 comprehensive study and polling conducted for the Texas Tech report on recreation and conservation issues, showed that "Texans believe that natural resource values are more important than recreational values."^* The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has prioritized ecoregions and habitats that are in need of preservation efforts.

The continued existence of wildlife habitat and biodiversity is very much in the hands of the private sector. Most state agency documents claim that 94 percent of the land in Texas is privately held, though a Texas Sunset Commission study conducted in 2000 of land ownership in Texas concluded that 86.73 percent of land is in private hands.^* There are voluntary and non regulatory efforts on the part of landowners, private organizations, state and federal organizations to preserve land for wildlife.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's Land and Water Resources Conservation Plan approved by the TPWD Commissioners in August 2002, presented an analysis of conservation threats on land and water resources and identified both priority ecoregions and priority habitats on land and water for conservation work.

Major environmental groups, such as National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, Environmental Defense, and Trust for Public Lands criticized the Plan for being too vague, for its lack of measurable goals and for the lack of detailed planning steps, and funding strategies needed to protect and restore critical habitats and to maintain ecosystem processes. The groups, however, in their public comments, did not challenge TPWD's land conservation priorities. On the otherhand, the environmental organizations did recommend that TPWD's water resource conservation efforts include a prioritization of watersheds in which acquisition of existing water rights is most critical for protecting fish and wildlife resources.

VEGETATION TYPES OF TEXAS   Grassland Herbs (grasses, forbs, and grasslike plants) dominant; woody vegetation lacking or nearly so (generally 10 percent or less woody canopy coverage).       Shrub Individual woody plants generally less than nine feet tall scattered throughout arid or semi-arid regions (less than 30 percent woody canopy coverage). Brush Woody plants mostly less than nine feet tall dominant and growing as closely spaced individuals, clusters or closed canopied stands (greater than 10 percent canopy cover). Parks Woody plants mostly equal to or greater than nine feet tall generally dominant and growing as clusters, or as scattered individuals within continuous grass or forbs (11 to 70 percent woody canopy cover overall). Woods Woody plants mostly nine to 30 feet tall with closed crowns or nearly so (71 to 100 percent canopy cover); midstory usually lacking. Forest Deciduous or evergreen trees dominant; mostly greater than 30 feet tall with closed crowns or nearly so (71 to 100 percent canopy cover); midstory generally apparent except in managed monoculture. Young Forest Various combinations and age classes of pine and hardwood regrowth resulting from the recent harvest of pine or mixed hardwood and pine forests. Marsh Emergent herbaceous plants dominant in inundated or periodically inundated areas; woody vegetation lacking or nearly so (generally 10 percent or less woody canopy coverage). Swamp Deciduous or evergreen trees with varying heights (canopy cover generally greater than 10 percent) within frequently or constantly inundated sites. Crops Includes cultivated cover crops or row crops used for the purpose of producing food and/or fiber for either man or domestic animals Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

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