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Geographic Information Systems or GIS is an
essential planning tool in this process. Conservation
GIS can be thought of as any process which uses the
tools of GIS to achieve conservation goals. Some idea of the
scope of Conservation GIS can be found at the Society
for Conservation GIS web site. At CERI we use GIS to map
wildlife habitat, potential wildlife movement corridors, land
ownership and status, highways and roadkills, and a variety of
other data. We use these analyses primarily to determine which
areas have the greatest potential and urgency for conservation
measures on both public and private lands.
Conservation GIS to analyze connectivity and prioritize conservation
efforts.
Static models of habitat connectivity are becoming widely used
for identifying and prioritizing habitat outside of protected
areas. Areas which are identified as linkage habitat are the
focus of restrictive management practices on public lands, and
are the focus of land acquisition and conservation easements
on private lands. The costs of maintaining large areas of habitat
will increase as the amount of land thus identified increases;
for economic reasons alone it is important that such lands be
accurately identified. The ecological costs, if habitat linkages
prove to be ineffective or improperly located, can be severe.
Small populations in isolated habitat are at a higher risk of
extinction. It is extremely important for the maintenance of
biodiversity and ecosystem function that habitat connections
be maintained and that resources to maintain them be effectively
allocated. In the Yukon-to-Yellowstone region conserving and
maintaining habitat connections is critical for a high quality
of life; for human communities, plant communities and animal
communities.
CERI's program focus, and that of connectivity modelling
in general, occurs at two scales: regional (commonly
1 km2 grids or pixels) and landscape (commonly 30 m2 grids
or pixels) due primarily to the constraints of remotely sensed-data.
Regional models help to focus large-scale conservation planning
and address issues of metapopulation and species persistence,
dispersal, gene flow, and evolution. Landscape models help to
focus local conservation planning and address issues of deme
and population persistence, seasonal and migratory movements,
and ecosystem health and function. Both perspectives are critical
to maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem function throughout
Y2Y, and both types of planning efforts should occur in concert.
Regional models
help to pinpoint areas of concern where landscape models may
be most effective in a regional context. Landscape models help
to pinpoint barriers to movement and fragmentation of habitat
and to guide land use decisions. Ultimately, both modelling scales
need to result in site-specific, on-the-ground biological assessments,
augmented with data on animal distribution and movements if possible.
Site specific knowledge then needs to be disseminated to local
decision-makers, public lands managers, private landowners and
land trusts, conservation groups, and other interested parties
in order to guide conservation efforts.
Regional-scale
Projects:
The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative
The Muskwa-Kechika
Conservation Area Design
The
Coastal Forests and Mountains Ecoregional Plan
The Central
and North Coast
The
Transboundary Conservation Area Design
The Taku Conservation Area Design
The
Wyoming Great Divide Conservation Area Design
The
Inland Temperate Rainforest
Landscape-scale Projects:
The Bozeman Pass Project
The Madison
Valley Project
The
Grizzly Bear Habitat Model Comparison Project
The
Paradise Valley Project
Why
do we need connectivity and how can we measure it?
Most of CERI's projects involve
GIS.
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Conservation
GIS
