2
Wildlife Habitat Triangle
Space
Arrangement
E
ach must be of good quality, in ample supply, and
properly situated in relation to each other.
To many, the term “wildlife
conservation" is often confused
with “wildlife preservation."
Conservation is an effort to
maintain and use natural
resources wisely in an attempt
to ensure that those resources
will be available for future
generations.
Preservation is a component
or part of conservation in which
natural systems are left alone
without human disturbance or
manipulation. But, an
undisturbed ecosystem is not
always stable. Natural changes
of plants are constantly
creating different habitats for
different wildlife species.
Thus, as conditions in the
habitat change, some species
will have to move on and others
will move in. Here’s an example:
Wildlife managers usually
want to:
s
Increase a population
(adding food and cover
plants);
s
Decrease a population,
(harvesting deer that are
damaging fruit trees); or
s
Stabilize a population
(making sure wildlife leaving
is replaced by wildlife coming
in).
Essential Elements
of a Wildlife Habitat
There are four essential
elements needed for survival in
a wildlife habitat – food, water,
cover, and space for wildlife to
raise a family. If you keep these
needs in mind while creating
your wildlife habitat plan, your
chances for success are
excellent
Food requirements vary for
every species. It changes as
they age and from one season
to another. For some, the
berries in your garden are ideal.
For others, it’s the nectar in
flowers, or nuts and acorns,
grasses, grain, or seeds.
Water is as important as
food and is critical to survival.
Adding a pond or bird bath will
produce results in a hurry.
Perhaps letting your pond
overflow will produce wetlands.
Cover is important for
weather protection as well as
hiding from predators. It’s
also important for nesting
and resting. It can be shrubs,
native grasses, trees, rock and
brush piles, hollow trees, caves,
nesting boxes, and abandoned
buildings.
Space is needed for wildlife
to raise a family. They
establish territories and they
will defend it. For example,
Bluebird nesting boxes must
be 300 ft. apart or the
Bluebirds will fight each other.
Wood ducks and Purple
martins do not defend
territories. Loons want 100
acres of lake or wetlands and
Ruffed grouse need 10 acres.
Basic Concepts of a Habitat
Before fully evaluating a
wildlife habitat, some basic
concepts about habitat and
their relationship to different
wildlife species needs to be
understood.
Within a forest ecosystem,
how the plants grow in
different layers is an
important type of
arrangement called vertical
layering.
This is important because
some wildlife species may use
the ground layer
(herbaceous) for food, but
also need the tallest layer
(tree canopy) for shelter. The
middle layer is composed of
shrubs.
Cover
Water
Food
