Applications
Applications
Using Data from Southwest Regional Gap Analysis to Formulate Conservation Objectives in the Lower Colorado River Watershed
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 2, Albuquerque, New Mexico
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is moving toward a strategic approach to habitat conservation. The agency is initiating efforts that employ the best available scientific data and models in conservation planning to inform conservation actions, such as land acquisition or restoration projects. The goal of these types of efforts is to create an adaptive management loop (Figure 1) that achieves the most effective conservation actions. A key piece of the adaptive management loop within the biological planning and conservation design elements is the formulation of conservation objectives that are based on biological information such as species life history data. A team of biologists and natural resource managers from a variety of federal, state, and non-governmental organizations are currently developing conservation objectives for the Lower Colorado River (LCR) watershed (Figure 2).
Figure 1. Adaptive management loop for implementing and evaluating conservation actions.
Figure 2. Lower Colorado River Watershed in which conservation objectives are being developed based on SWReGAP data.
Application of GAP Data to Formulate Conservation Objectives
Developing meaningful conservation objectives requires high quality biological data. A key source of such data for the LCR watershed is the Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project (SWReGAP). Although the LCR watershed extends into California beyond the southwestern edge of SWReGAP data, the land cover, species models, and stewardship dataset provide many inputs necessary to formulate conservation objectives and construct a watershed-scale plan. SWReGAP data, along with other data and information, are being used to set objectives in two ways: (1) coarse-filter objectives based on prioritization of ecological systems and (2) objectives based on habitat requirements of priority species.
Conservation Objectives Based on Prioritized Ecological Systems
A map of ecological systems for the watershed based primarily on SWReGAP land cover was developed. The California portion of the LCR watershed was based on data obtained from the Lower Colorado Multi-Species Conservation Program (MSCP) and National Land Cover data sets. A method for prioritizing ecological systems using 5 analytical categories was developed:
Objectives were set to conserve representative samples of each ecological system based on its prioritization. Higher priority ecological systems require more land area set aside in GAP status 1 and 2 lands.
Conservation Objectives Based on Habitat Requirements of Priority Species
Following the coarse-filter analysis, models are being used to determine conservation objectives for selected populations of species. To begin, a subset of 65 species (subspecies in some cases) comprising 3 amphibians, 37 birds, 10 fish, 9 mammals, 3 reptiles, 1 insect, and 2 plants were selected. These species were selected based on their status in various initiatives including the MSCP and Partners in Flight. A biologically based population objective was then determined, and habitat was modeled (including the quantity and location of the habitat necessary to support the population objective). Not enough data or knowledge were available to build models for all of these species, therefore only a fraction will have spatially explicit habitat objectives.
Ecoregional Conservation Plan
The LCR watershed project will combine the objectives based on prioritized ecological systems and objectives for each species into a conservation plan. The plan will envision an efficient set of conservation areas that achieves the conservation objectives.
Potential for Future Work
After the initial LCR conservation plan is complete, implementation over the long term will be vital. Ideally monitoring would be instituted to establish the response of species populations to achieving habitat objectives. The MSCP may provide partnership opportunities for monitoring within the floodplain of the Lower Colorado River. The conservation plan is considered to be iterative, requiring updates as additional data and information become available.
As the FWS grows its capacity to undertake conservation planning at ecoregional scales, the agency will increase its demand for data and expert support. Habitat models can be improved with more information on structural and functional characteristics of land cover types. Collaborative projects with GAP and other USGS programs can provide modeling efforts that focus on priority species and priority ecoregions.
Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program. 2004. Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, Volume II: Habitat Conservation Plan. Sacramento, CA.
Panjabi, A. O., E. H. Dunn, P. J. Blancher, W. C. Hunter, B. Altman, J. Bart, C. J. Beardmore, H. Berlanga, G. S. Butcher, S. K. Davis, D. W. Demarest, R. Dettmers, W. Easton, H. Gomez de Silva Garza, E. E. Iñigo-Elias, D. N. Pashley, C. J. Ralph, T. D. Rich, K. V. Rosenberg, C. M. Rustay, J. M. Ruth, J. S. Wendt, and T. C. Will. 2005. The Partners in Flight handbook on species assessment. Version 2005. Partners in Flight Technical Series No. 3. Retreived May 10, 2006, from Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory website: http://www.rmbo.org/pubs/downloads/Handbook2005.pdf .
Vogelmann, J. E., S. M. Howard, L. Yang, C. R. Larson, B. K. Wylie, and N. Van Driel, 2001. Completion of the 1990s National Land Cover Data Set for the conterminous United States from LANDSAT Thematic Mapper data and ancillary data sources. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing 67:650-652.