ABSTRACT
Data describing landscape history, particularly the response of landscape patterns to past climate and land uses, can improve results from models that predict patterns of species distributions. We assessed the influence of past climate,... more
Data describing landscape history, particularly the response of landscape patterns to past climate and land uses, can improve results from models that predict patterns of species distributions. We assessed the influence of past climate, past and current land use, and topography on the potential spatial and temporal distributions of terrestrial vertebrates in a semi-arid watershed using multitemporal satellite imagery, geospatial land ownership data, and long-term climate and vegetation monitoring data. We mapped decadal vegetation and land cover (1979, 1989, 1999, and 2009) using satellite and field data, and created species richness maps for each date using SWReGAP species-habitat models. Our results show that vegetation types with the highest mammal and avian species richness, primarily desert grasslands (mammal) and riparian vegetation (avian) types, experienced the largest change in land cover area and related species richness numbers over time. Change patterns were neither temp...
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We studied winter habitat use of Ferruginous Hawks (Buteo regalis) from November 1999- February 2000 in southern New Mexico and northern Mexico by comparing vegetation in New Mexico among three potential hawk habitat types: occupied... more
We studied winter habitat use of Ferruginous Hawks (Buteo regalis) from November 1999- February 2000 in southern New Mexico and northern Mexico by comparing vegetation in New Mexico among three potential hawk habitat types: occupied black-tailed prairie dog (Cyn0mys ludovicianus) col- onies (N = 13), areas without prairie dogs that had historical records of occurrence (N = 7), and general
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Ecosystem services, i.e., services provided to humans from ecological systems have become a key issue of this century in resource management, conservation planning, and environmental decision analysis. Mapping and quantifying ecosystem... more
Ecosystem services, i.e., services provided to humans from ecological systems have become a key issue of this century in resource management, conservation planning, and environmental decision analysis. Mapping and quantifying ecosystem services have become strategic national interests for integrating ecology with economics to help understand the effects of human policies and actions and their subsequent impacts on both ecosystem function and human well-being. Some aspects of biodiversity are valued by humans in varied ways, and thus are important to include in any assessment that seeks to identify and quantify the benefits of ecosystems to humans. Some biodiversity metrics clearly reflect ecosystem services (e.g., abundance and diversity of harvestable species), whereas others may reflect indirect and difficult to quantify relationships to services (e.g., relevance of species diversity to ecosystem resilience, cultural value of native species). Wildlife habitat has been modeled at broad spatial scales and can be used to map a number of biodiversity metrics. In the present study, we present an approach that (1) identifies mappable biodiversity metrics that are related to ecosystem services or other stakeholder concerns, (2) maps these metrics throughout a large multi-state region, and (3) compares the metric values obtained for selected watersheds within the regional context. The broader focus is to design a flexible approach for mapping metrics to produce a national-scale product. We map 20 biodiversity metrics reflecting ecosystem services or other aspects of biodiversity for all vertebrate species except fish. Metrics include species richness for all vertebrates, specific taxon groups, harvestable species (i.e., upland game, waterfowl, furbearers, small game, and big game), threatened and endangered species, and state-designated species of greatest conservation need, and also a metric for ecosystem (i.e., land cover) diversity. The project is being conducted at multiple scales in a phased approach, starting with place-based studies, then multi-state regional areas, culminating into a national-level atlas. As an example of this incremental approach, we provide results for the southwestern United States (i.e., states of Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado) and portions of two watersheds within this region: the San Pedro River (Arizona) and Rio Grande River (New Mexico). Geographic patterns differed considerably among metrics across the southwestern study area, but metric values for the two watershed study areas were generally greater than those for the southwestern region as a whole.
Effects of future land use change on watersheds have important management implications. Seamless, national-scale land-use-change scenarios for developed land were acquired from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Integrated Climate... more
Effects of future land use change on watersheds have important management implications. Seamless, national-scale land-use-change scenarios for developed land were acquired from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Integrated Climate and Land Use Scenarios (lCLUS) project and extracted to fit the South Platte River Basin, Colorado, relative to projections of housing density for the period 2000 through 2100. Habitat models developed from the Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project were invoked to examine changes in wildlife habitat and biodiversity metrics using five ICLUS scenarios. The scenarios represent a U.S. Census base-case and four modifications that were consistent with the different assumptions underlying the A1, A2, B1, B2 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change global greenhouse gas emission storylines. Habitat models for terrestrial vertebrate species were used to derive metrics reflecting ecosystem services or biodiversity aspects valued by humans that could be quantified and mapped. Example metrics included richness of species of greatest conservation need, threatened and endangered species, harvestable species (e.g., upland game, big game), and total vertebrate species. Overall, the defined scenarios indicated that housing density and extent of developed lands will increase throughout the century with a resultant decrease in area for all species richness categories. The A2 Scenario in general showed greatest effect on area by species richness category. Areas with low or high species richness were projected to experience the greatest declines. The integration of the land use scenarios with biodiversity metrics derived from deductive habitat models may prove to be an important tool for decisionmakers involved in impact assessments and adaptive planning processes.
Landscape scale conservation planning efforts have been in place for the past several decades to maintain biodiversity. Objectives of past efforts have been to identify areas to create reserves based on species diversity, land ownership,... more
Landscape scale conservation planning efforts have been in place for the past several decades to maintain biodiversity. Objectives of past efforts have been to identify areas to create reserves based on species diversity, land ownership, and landscape context. Risk analysis has not often been included in these spatial analyses. Datasets such as the Southwest Regional Gap Analysis (SWReGAP) are now available as are processes that allow risk analysis to be viewed in a spatial context in relations to factors that affect habitats over broad scales. We describe a method to include four spatial datasets to provide coarse scale delineation on areas to focus conservation including species numbers, key habitats, land management and factors that influence habitats. We used the SWReGAP management status dataset to identify management categories for long-term intent of management for biodiversity. The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish identified a set of 290 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). Species occurrences for these species were associated with hydrologic unit codes from the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD). Key habitats were identified by using the SWReGAP land cover dataset and NHD derivatives. Factors that influence habitats were identified and scored for 89 land cover types and 23 aquatic habitats identified by the NMDGF. Our final model prioritizes landscapes that are within key habitats, have high numbers of terrestrial and aquatic Species of Greatest Conservation Need taxa, may be potentially altered by multiple effects that influence habitats, and lack long-term legally-binding management plans protecting them from anthropogenic degradation. Similar to other efforts, riparian and aquatic habitats were identified as the most important for conservation. This information may be displayed spatially, allowing land managers and decision makers to understand the ecological context where multiple effects of potential factors may influence some habitats greater than others, and repeat process with CWCS revisions.
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... to hydrologic features), and soils (soil texture, depth, and percent rock outcrop; Table 3-3). Other layers specifically addressed in the habitat-modeling protocol were mountain ranges, temperature (mean annual minimum and maximum),... more
... to hydrologic features), and soils (soil texture, depth, and percent rock outcrop; Table 3-3). Other layers specifically addressed in the habitat-modeling protocol were mountain ranges, temperature (mean annual minimum and maximum), precipitation, and landform (Mannis et al. ...
The purpose of this data browser is to provide a spatial toolkit that delivers primary data that can be used for primary input information for assessments related to environmental endpoints, e.g. surface water hydrology and habitat... more
The purpose of this data browser is to provide a spatial toolkit that delivers primary data that can be used for primary input information for assessments related to environmental endpoints, e.g. surface water hydrology and habitat mapping, related to ecosystem services.
A necessary component in these landscape scale analyses is a contemporary land cover dataset and the ancillary spatial coverages which provide a baseline for subsequent habitat and hydrologic modeling, and conservation assessments. Thus, the content of this site can be used as the basis for landscape-scale assessments of ecological characteristics of aquatic ecosystems and impacts from land use and water quality management.
The extent of the datasets include all sub-watersheds of the South Platte River Basin (HUC 101900) that fall within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 8 states of Colorado and Wyoming and a portion of western Nebraska in Region 7.
The South Platte watershed contains many rapidly growing cities, each with increasing pressures on the natural environment and stressors on aquatic ecosystems due to land use change and water development. With projected population growth in excess of 50% by 2050, the need for data and best available science for environmental decision-making is critical to maintaining the integrity of the waters within the South Platte River Basin.
A necessary component in these landscape scale analyses is a contemporary land cover dataset and the ancillary spatial coverages which provide a baseline for subsequent habitat and hydrologic modeling, and conservation assessments. Thus, the content of this site can be used as the basis for landscape-scale assessments of ecological characteristics of aquatic ecosystems and impacts from land use and water quality management.
The extent of the datasets include all sub-watersheds of the South Platte River Basin (HUC 101900) that fall within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 8 states of Colorado and Wyoming and a portion of western Nebraska in Region 7.
The South Platte watershed contains many rapidly growing cities, each with increasing pressures on the natural environment and stressors on aquatic ecosystems due to land use change and water development. With projected population growth in excess of 50% by 2050, the need for data and best available science for environmental decision-making is critical to maintaining the integrity of the waters within the South Platte River Basin.
Boykin, K.G., W.G. Kepner, D.F. Bradford, K.J. Gergely, A.C. Neale. 2010. Mapping Biodiversity Metrics Representing Ecosystem Services at the Landscape Scale in the American Southwest. Environmental Protection Agency Ecosystem Services Research Program Third Annual Meeting, Oct 19-21, Las Vegas, NV.more