Exceptions exist, but most species are best maintained by sustaining, in as natural condition as is feasible, the ecosystems on which they rely. For that reason, we believe that management of publicly owned wildlife lands in North Dakota should be oriented toward protecting and restoring large tracts of the most natural ecosystems extant. As a consequence, those actions will protect biodiversity, although local species diversity will not be maximized. This approach may not be the optimum for those who enjoy the natural values of unnatural habitats, such as bird watching in shelterbelts on a national wildlife refuge dominated by grassland, but it will favor the long-term protection of the widest array of game and nongame bird species. Compromises, such as restricting woody vegetation primarily to riparian areas, would increase local diversity and allow associated public uses but still would permit restoration of native plant and animal communities in most of the area.
Managers are often responsible for large areas of degraded grassland.
Restoration of those habitats to a more natural condition may result in a local reduction in the number of species using those areas. The public should consider those losses as an acceptable trade-off made by managers in favor of preserving natural biodiversity, including game and nongame species, of the northern Great Plains.