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THE THREATENED AND THE IRREPLACEABLE: IDENTIFYING AREAS FOR THE CONSERVATION OF FAUNAL SPECIES DIVERSITY IN THE MIDDLE-ATLANTIC REGION OF THE UNITED STATES
Citation:
Lawler, J. J., R D. White, AND L. L. Master. THE THREATENED AND THE IRREPLACEABLE: IDENTIFYING AREAS FOR THE CONSERVATION OF FAUNAL SPECIES DIVERSITY IN THE MIDDLE-ATLANTIC REGION OF THE UNITED STATES. Presented at International Association for Landscape Ecology, annual meeting of the US Chapter, Lincoln, NE, April 23-26, 2002.
Description:
One fundamental step in conservation planning involves determining where to concentrate efforts to protect conservation targets. Here we demonstrate an approach to prioritizing areas based on both species composition and potential threats facing the species. First, we determined the relative importance of each of 487 equal-area sites in the Middle-Atlantic region of the U.S. for protecting 559 animal species. For each site, we calculated a measure of irreplaceability, a statistic derived from reserve-selection theory that measures the potential contribution of a site to sets of sites that achieve a conservation goal, such as protecting all species. We located several areas, particularly in the southern portion of the region, that were critical to protecting species diversity in an efficient manner. To determine which of these areas were most impacted by human activities, we measured four basic indicators of anthropogenic stress: the density of roads, agriculture, industrial and residential development, and open mines. We then classified areas with respect to both irreplaceability and the intensity of each potential stressor, highlighting a subset of the sites with high irreplaceability as targets for more immediate conservation actions. Our analyses provide guidance for conservation in the Middle-Atlantic region and demonstrate one potential conservation planning approach.