Looking first at
the descriptive section of the plan one can see that this defines the locality factors
such as the geographical position, geology, climate and hydrological status. This is the basic
framework within which the ecosystems have developed, and it allows for broad comparisons to
be made between areas in order to base predictions for the reserve on experience gained
elsewhere. The classification of the ecosystems represented on the reserve will usually depend
upon the plant communities and on the soil types, both of which are static and relatively easily
identified. Animal species tend to be of less use in classification since they are so numerous that
few people could identify them and many of the species are mobile. After the classification the
dynamics of the situation should be assessed. What are the forces holding the ecosystem in its
present form, or in what direction is it changing? What is the distribution of species in the
ecosystem, or what is the effect of time going to be upon the wildlife that we wish to conserve
today? These are biological attributes. But equally important is the effect of visitors upon the
ecosystem. What are the research, educational and recreational potentialities of the reserve, and
what will be the effect of exploiting such potential on the ecosystems? The first section of the
management plan is thus descriptive, containing a summary of the environmental and biological
attributes of the reserve and of the human interest. It is also predictive in that the experience
gained from research and study of similar ecosystems can suggest what changes may occur and
how to plan the exploitation of the wildlife in the broadest sense.
