Notes sur la Protection de la Nature aux États-Unis

Abstract

SUMMARY. In the United States the primitive nature which the first colonistsfound a few centuries ago has undergone a process of modificationwhich man has not .completely forgotten.Colonisation caused considerable devastation. As a reaction therearose a movement for the .conservation of nature which resulted inthc action of certain governemental agencies: the Forest Service,then the National Park Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, andiastly, the Soil Conservation Service.. The Park Service manages thenational parks according to a policy which takes into account the necessitiesof tourism as well as the need for the protection of nature.Tt must solve some difficult problems: for instance the overgrazingof deer or other herbivorous animals which have been excessivelyprotected against predators, the exploitation of fishing, for recreation,the « clonft feed bear » campaign. The parks are not sanctuaries,but they are nonetheless rich in lessons.The Fish and Wildlfe Service endeavours to protect certain migratoryanimals, for a purpose usually economic, but sometimes purelyscientific. Its action is extended in-each State by that of the GameCommissions. It has created refuges with a view to the protectionof g-eese, -clucks or other game. Tt has attempted to protect salmonin some rivers, particularly the Columbia River. On the whole, theUnited States have clone a great deal for the protection of animalsand for the study of the relationships between man and wildlife.