Minnesota Ecosystem Problems

Minnesota is a geologically and biologically diverse state, but many of its ecosystem pressures are shared almost universally: climate instability, micro-toxification of the general environment, fragmentation of biomes, unsustainable human practices and nonpoint-source pollution of soil, water and air.

The Big Thermostat

• Minnesota is part of the Great Lakes region. The Great Lakes are the largest single reservoir of surface fresh water in the world and play a strong determinative role in regional weather patterns. Human development pressure has already disrupted ecosystems, but scientists believe abrupt changes of weather patterns, especially temperature rises, will destabilize all natural systems to one degree or another.

The Underworld

• The waters of Minnesota are more than thermostats. They contain very diverse and often fragile biomes. Invasive aquatic species are a high priority concern for the state of Minnesota, because Minnesota has -- aside from its frontage on the Great Lakes -- 11,842 lakes with surfaces of at least 10 acres in addition to thousands of watercourses. Minnesota has identified 13 problematic invasive species of aquatic animals and six problematic invasive plants.

Big Ideas

• The Minnesota Ecosystems Recovery Project has proposed a statewide eco-rehabilitation system that begins with core reserves, upon which it builds "buffer zones" and "corridors." This proposal is part of a habitat recovery effort in Minnesota.