Regional Assessment of Habitats
Authored By: M. M. Rowland, L. H. Suring, M. J. Wisdom
To address concerns about ongoing degradation of sagebrush habitats and associated species, Wisdom and others (2005a) identified steps for spatial analysis to be used in regional assessment. Those steps were subsequently applied in the Great Basin ecoregion in a case study approach. The following sections describe the methods and results of the Great Basin assessment, with primary emphasis on results and their interpretation for management. These methods involved selection of species for analysis, describing species-habitat relationships, identification of primary threats, quantification of vegetation and habitat in the study area, and development of predictive models of selected threats.
Subsections found in Regional Assessment of Habitats
- Selecting and Grouping Species of Concern : Using a variety of screening criteria, (e.g., habitat association, estimated risk of extirpation), Wisdom and others compiled a comprehensive list of more than 350 sagebrush-associated species of concern.
- Describing Species-habitat Relationships : Evaluation of the condition, (e.g., risk levels) and spatial pattern of habitat for multiple species of concern provides essential context for the development of regionally based management and conservation strategies.
- Identifying Regional Threats : Wisdom and others outlined a process for identifying threats to consider in regional assessment, using criteria such as spatial extent of the threat, available resources to address the threat, and cost-benefit analysis.
- Quantifying Vegetation and Habitat in the Great Basin : To estimate vegetation at risk in the Great Basin, we first quantified the total area of each landcover type present in the study area using the landcover map.
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Encyclopedia ID: p3584
