WEBINAR AGENDA. Review of connectivity mapping progress to date. Describe draft methodology for delineating and validating core areas

Transcription

1 WEBINAR AGENDA Review of connectivity mapping progress to date Describe draft methodology for delineating and validating core areas Review examples of the methodology implemented in the Highlands Explain decisions that need to be made as we move forward with mapping cores and corridors Describe next steps

2 CORE TEAM MEETING SCHEDULE Third Tuesday of each month Division of Fish & Wildlife s Central Region Office (Assunpink WMA) Mapping: 9:30 11:30 am Guidance Doc: 12 2 pm Communication: 2:30 4:30 pm

3 UPCOMING MEETING January 21 st Division of Fish & Wildlife Central Region Office (Assunpink WMA) 9:30 am - 12:30 pm: Combo Mapping and Guidance Document meeting. We especially encourage species experts to attend to discuss species specific movement capabilities and habitat associations that need to be sorted out to continue with the core and corridor modeling. 1-3 pm: Communication Team meeting. We will review the project diagram and work on a structure for a public website.

4 PROGRESS TO DATE Discussed elements and functions to include in mapping end product to make it most useable Reviewed approaches taken by other states for connectivity map development Identified the goals of the mapping

5 MAPPING GOALS/OBJECTIVES Identify and characterize habitat cores and corridors that are critical for the long-term viability of terrestrial wildlife populations. The identified corridors are ones that: Provide live-in and move-through habitat [Serve to reconnect existing protected areas]* Enable species to meet basic daily and seasonal biological requirements (e.g. finding food, mates, cover) Provide for dispersal and recolonization of populations Enable redistribution of populations in response to climatic, environmental, and population level changes Facilitate genetic exchange among populations Consider connectivity across the state border []* This is a placeholder for a core areas definition. We have not yet decided if the areas we connected will necessarily all be protected areas.

6 PROGRESS TO DATE Discussed elements and functions to include in mapping end product to make it most useable Reviewed approaches taken by other states for connectivity map development Identified the goals of the mapping Identified target species and compiled information for each species, specifically movement behaviors and needs and data availability

7 SPECIES QUESTIONS PRELIMINARY LOOK Defining terrestrial species: NJ native terrestrial species for which lack of habitat connectivity or isolation of habitat from similar habitat is potentially a significant problem for the species and may jeopardize its long-term viability WA: Focused on species whose movement can be limited by humancreated landscape alterations... Most move on the ground and would be sensitive to barriers Species list review 127 species currently 30 = E, T, SC 98 Nongame species Taxonomic Class Number of Species Amphibia 31 Aves 12 Insecta 4 Mammalia 44 Reptilia 36

8 SPECIES QUESTIONS PRELIMINARY LOOK Species movement guild Number of Species Low mobility small fauna 51 Moderate mobility terrestrial 58 Moderate mobility semi-aquatic 3 High mobility carnivores 7 High mobility ungulates 1 Aerial fauna 7 Relates to body size, mobility, range size, and habitat requirements. These categories will be used for mapping as well as guidance document considerations, such are road/wildlife BMPs: 1) Low mobility small fauna, 2) Moderate mobility terrestrial fauna, 3) Moderate mobility semi-aquatic fauna, 4) High mobility carnivores, 5) High mobility ungulates, 6) Aerial fauna Notes (recommendations accompanying the questions): 1. - require specific ambient conditions and could use a 1 foot diameter culvert (mainly just amphibians) 3. - Semi-aquatic need the presence of water in close proximity and would use a water logged culvert with no dry passageway present 6. - Just Lepidoptera for this purpose. For avian species on this list, consider 2 or 3.

9 SPECIES QUESTIONS PRELIMINARY LOOK Data Availability Number of Species Telemetry data available 12 Locational data available 77 Loc data available as shapefile 66 Loc data in Biotics db 44 Records on road 23

10 SPECIES QUESTIONS PRELIMINARY LOOK

11 PROGRESS TO DATE Discussed elements and functions to include in mapping end product to make it most useable Reviewed approaches taken by other states for connectivity map development Identified the goals of the mapping Identified target species and compiled information for each species, specifically movement behaviors and needs and data availability Agreed on a general approach

12 VERY BROAD OVERVIEW OF APPROACH Definitions: Habitat (Raster) Each grid cell represents a habitat value as it pertains to its utility for terrestrial wildlife. Habitat Core An area that meets all habitat needs (foraging/prey, cover, reproduction) for terrestrial species. Resistance Raster with defined values indicating impediments to movement. Higher values indicate higher resistance and serve to limit species mobility. Examples of high resistance values include high volume roads and large lakes. Corridor Swath of land between core habitat that promotes movement of animals. Resistance Cores Resistance Corridors

13 PROGRESS TO DATE Decided on a broad work plan for proceeding with mapping Discussed elements and functions to include in mapping end product to make it most useable Reviewed approaches taken by other states for connectivity map development Identified the goals of the mapping Identified target species and compiled information for each species, specifically movement behaviors and needs and data availability Agreed on a general approach Tested out toolsets made available by WA state to get a feel for needed inputs, workable data resolution, etc.

14 GENERAL WORK PLAN 1. Continue to develop methodology to delineate cores and corridors in the Highlands using best available data 2. Develop and implement validation 3. Decide how to handle areas outside NJ border hybrid approach Use best available data within NJ Apply national datasets outside NJ and calibrate variables 4. Apply methodology to other regions Validate results to determine if modifications will need to be made on a regional basis If regional modifications are needed, make them and validate 5. Complete statewide draft mapping

15 VERY BROAD OVERVIEW OF APPROACH Definitions: Habitat (Raster) Each grid cell represents a habitat value as it pertains to its utility for terrestrial wildlife. Habitat Core An area that meets all habitat needs (foraging/prey, cover, reproduction) for terrestrial species. Resistance Raster with defined values indicating impediments to movement. Higher values indicate higher resistance and serve to limit species mobility. Examples of high resistance values include high volume roads and large lakes. Corridor Swath of land between core habitat that promotes movement of animals. Resistance Cores Resistance Corridors

16 GENERATION OF HABITAT RASTER 1. Generate rasters for different landscape elements Land Use Land Cover (2007) (Source DEP BGIS) Code LU07 as 0, 0.5, 1 (0 = no habitat, 0.5 = marginal, 1 = habitat) Polygon to Raster conversion Roads NJ_Roadway_Network (Source DOT) Highways (subtype 1,2,3,4), code as 0 County (subtype 5, 6), code as 0 Local (subtype 7), code as 0 Feature to Raster conversion Railroads Passenger - Tran_railroad_passenger (Source njgin), code as 0 Freight - Njdot_rail, Freight.shp (Source NJDOT), code as 0 Abandoned - NJdot_rail, Abandoned.shp (Source NJDOT), code as 0 Feature to Raster conversion 2. Combine all rasters, taking minimum value of cell across the different rasters, so that final Habitat raster has values from 0 (non-habitat) to 1 (habitat).

17 HABITAT RASTER 1 Habitat.5 Moderate Habitat 0 Non Habitat

18 Habitat Core Mapper Step 1: Average habitat value within circular moving window (home range radius) Avghabval Avghabval Validation Step 2: Minimum average habitat value applied. Uses [Avghabval] raster if avg. value is below input, becomes null, if above, becomes 1 Step 3: Minimum per pixel value applied. Uses [Habitat] raster if habitat value is below input, pixel becomes null Corehab Corehab Validation Prelimcrs Cores (draft) Step 4: (Optional) Incorporates resistance mapping to bring cores in close proximity together that are separated by low resistance areas. Based on home range distance movement Step 5: Threshold core patch size applied. If threshold not met, core eliminated Cores (draft) Validation Final cores each with unique ID, area, and min/max/range/mean/sd/ Sum of values from habitat model.

19 Home Range Radius Impact Step 1: Average habitat value within circular moving window (home range radius) Step 2: Minimum average habitat value applied. Uses [Avghabval] raster if avg. value is below input, becomes null, if above, becomes 1 Step 3: Minimum per pixel value applied. Uses [Habitat] raster if habitat value is below input, pixel becomes null Step 4: (Optional) Incorporates resistance mapping to bring cores in close proximity together that are separated by low resistance areas. Based on home range distance movement Step A B m 1000 m km km 2 Step 5: Threshold core patch size applied. If threshold not met, core eliminated A B Note All roads and railroads = barriers in this example All roads and railroads = barriers in this example

20 Step A B C m 1000 m 1000 m km km km 2 Note Barriers: Local roads County roads Highways Abandoned rail Freight rail Passenger rail Barriers: County roads Highways Freight rail Passenger rail A B C Barriers: Highways

21 Habitat Resistance Edge effects? Habitat Resistance Cores Resistance Known breeding areas Resiliency elements Cores (draft) Regional cores Corridors Ensure cores for habitat specialists Incorporate fragmentation metrics? Cores within dispersal distance Evaluate/Validate Land ownership? Resistance layer Cores Resistance Note: consider species ranges (i.e. if don t extend into saltwater habitat, don t worry about cores there.) Corridors

22 VERY BROAD OVERVIEW OF APPROACH Definitions: Habitat (Raster) Each grid cell represents a habitat value as it pertains to its utility for terrestrial wildlife. Habitat Core An area that meets all habitat needs (foraging/prey, cover, reproduction) for terrestrial species. Resistance Raster with defined values indicating impediments to movement. Higher values indicate higher resistance and serve to limit species mobility. Examples of high resistance values include high volume roads and large lakes. Corridor Swath of land between core habitat that promotes movement of animals. Resistance Cores Resistance Corridors

23 Possible changes to make for resistance layer: Base is Habitat grid Vary values applied to roads? Vary values applied to railroads? Give large waterbodies, include large rivers a higher resistance value Steep topography? Include riparian

24 Next Steps: Species experts to document and justify home range sizes for each terrestrial species Compile [Observation Data] high accuracy, between 2004 and Compile [Telemetry Data] - high accuracy, between 2004 and Decide how to divide species into groups based on: Movement capabilities: Landscape features that serve as barriers and/or are not easily traversed (e.g. Roads, railroads, waterbodies) Home range size Dispersal distance Corridor width Habitat associations Landscape features used for home range movements Landscape features species can move through between populations Decide final core review/validation process Decide how to define Resistance rasters, likely based on species groups

25 UPCOMING MEETING January 21 st Division of Fish & Wildlife Central Region Office (Assunpink WMA) 9:30 am - 12:30 pm: Combo Mapping and Guidance Document meeting. We especially encourage species experts to attend to discuss species specific movement capabilities and habitat associations that need to be sorted out to continue with the core and corridor modeling. 1-3 pm: Communication Team meeting. We will review the project diagram and work on a structure for a public website.