Arid lands, riparian landscapes, and management conflicts.

Not all landscapes are equal; they vary in non-commodity and commodity values. Landscapes that are endowed with the full range of values challenge managers to balance competing demands of special interest groups. Within desert areas, riparian landscapes most frequently encompass this full range of values and have been subjected to competing demands and conflicting uses for centuries. This article reports on a mail survey of the perceptions, attitudes, and opinions of the general public and special interest groups toward a riparian landscape in the Sonoran Desert. A specific point of inquiry is the relative position of professional resource managers compared with other groups on issues such as land use planning, appropriate management prescriptions, and appropriate land uses adjacent to riparian areas. Discriminant analysis of response data reveals significant differences among several special interest groups and the general public, and identifies an important challenge for the managers who are more aware of the fragility of arid lands and riparian ecosystems, and of threats to their continued productivity posed by rapid urban expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]