conservation design: a state agency perspective doyle shook, chief wildlife management
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Conservation Design: A State Agency Perspective Doyle Shook, Chief Wildlife Management. Conservation Design. A State Agency Perspective. It is an outgrowth of an ongoing shift in the conservation paradigm. Its implications to state wildlife agencies will be long term. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Conservation Design:
A State Agency Perspective
Doyle Shook, Chief
Wildlife Management
Conservation DesignA State Agency Perspective
• It is an outgrowth of an ongoing shift in the conservation paradigm.
• Its implications to state wildlife agencies will be long term.
• Our response is expected to be comprehensive and strategic.
Conservation DesignA State Agency Perspective
• Our experiences with national/international bird conservation plans
• Our experiences with Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plans
• Our experiences as a Joint Venture partner
Three things shaping our thinking…
Are we seeing a conservation paradigm shift that is more science based, comprehensive
and strategic?
If so, what role does the state fish and wildlife agency play in that shift?
The traditional conservation paradigm:
• Habitat protection, restoration, and management are founded on a well justified sense of urgency.
• “Every conservation action is progress.”
• Wildlife conservation rests on a broad body of scientific knowledge.
Mississippi Alluvial Valley BCR in Arkansas
BCR 26
Arkansas
State Wildlife Management Areas
Total – 705,254 acres
National Wildlife Refuges
National Forests
Wetland Reserve Program
Public Reforestation
Hydrology Restoration - Public
Hydrology Restoration - Private
Conservation Estate
Mississippi Alluvial ValleyArkansas Delta
151,148
270,238
21,258
108,222
19,113
71,019
64,256
What has determined the state’s conservation priorities?
1
Partners in Flight North American Waterbird Plan
U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan
North American Waterfowl Management Plan
Northern Bobwhite Quail Conservation Initiative
North American Bird Conservation Initiative
NABCI Vision
Regionally-based…
Biologically-driven…
Landscape-oriented partnerships…
Delivering the full spectrum of bird conservation across the entirety of North America.
New Challenges…fundamentally
Target: Landscapes capable of sustaining populations range-wide at prescribed levels.
Increase 100%2,000,000Rusty Blackbird
Increase 50%1,100,000Kentucky Warbler
Increase 50%1,800,000Prothonotary Warbler
Increase 100%560,000Cerulean Warbler
Increase 100%79,000Henslow’s Sparrow
Locate?Ivory-billed Woodpecker
Population Objective
US & Canada Population
Species
Approach: Means and methods of developing goals and objectives that reflect measurable biological outcomes achieved across multiple spatial scales.
New Challenges…fundamentally
Target: Landscapes capable of sustaining populations range-wide at prescribed levels.
Arkansas Comprehensive Wildlife
Conservation Strategy
7 Ecoregions
369 SGCN
45 Terrestrial Habitats
18 Aquatic Habitats
Two Challenges…
Effecting Conservation at Ecoregional Scales
1
Partners in Flight North American Waterbird Plan
U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan
North American Waterfowl Management Plan
Northern Bobwhite Quail Conservation Initiative
North American Bird Conservation Initiative
Texas
Forest Service
Tennessee
Kentucky
Wildlife Mgt Institute
The Nature Conservancy
US Geological Survey
Ducks Unlimited
Mississippi
Arkansas
US Fish & Wildlife
Louisiana
Oklahoma
The Conservation
Fund
Missouri
OK
TX
MO
AR
LA
MS
TN
KY
Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture
Bridging the Gap…
Two Challenges…
• Biological Planning
• Conservation Design
• Conservation Delivery
• Assumption-driven Research
• Decision-based Monitoring
Conservation Framework
Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture
Use of transparent, replicable processes and procedures to derive conservation objectives expressed as measurable biological outcomes.
Biological Planning…
Conservation Design…
The process of translating biological objectives into spatially explicit conservation priorities and developing spatially explicit decision support tools.
DensityProductivity
PopulationResponse
Landscape Quality
Site Quality
ForestComposition
Deciduous / Forested Wetlands
Stem density (stems/ha)
Relat
ive de
nsity
0 15000 30000 45000 60000 75000 90000
Stem Density
Forest Structure
Forest patch size (ha)
Relat
ive de
nsity
(SI3)
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Forest Patch Size
Landscape Structure
0
0.25
0.5
0.75
1
0 25 50 75 100
Landscape composition (% forest in 10 km radius buffer)
Relat
ive pr
oduc
tivity
Predation and parasitism
Non-hostile/hostile ratio
Landscape Composition
Biological Planning…Population/Habitat Modeling
= +
Biological Planning…
ArkansasIllinoisKentucky LouisianaMississippiMissouriTennessee
Totals
902
1914
61
1111
15611
3007201
51 36 13
State 10K 20K 100K
Swainson’s WarblerProthonotary Warbler
Northern ParulaHooded Warbler
Wood ThrushAcadian Flycatcher
Blue-gray GnatcatcherRed-eyed Vireo
American Redstart
Cerulean WarblerKentucky WarblerSummer Tanager
Yellow-billed CuckooLouisiana WaterthrustEastern Wood-PeweeYellow-throated Vireo
Yellow-throated WarblerGreat Crested Flycatcher
Scarlet TanagerWhite-breasted Nuthatch
Swallow-tailed KiteRed-shouldered HawkBroad-winged HawkPileated Woodpecker
Cooper’s Hawk
MAV Forest Breeding Bird Source Population Objectives
Conservation Design… Arkansas Delta
Circa 1950 Forest Cover
Conservation Design… Arkansas Delta
1992 Forest Cover
Conservation Design… Arkansas Delta
State/Federal WMA’s