if we knew then what we know now….adapting to meet challenges gulf coast
TRANSCRIPT
If we knew then what we know now….Adapting to meet challenges
Gulf Coast
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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
A surrogate species approach, why is it something we need to do?
1. Only a fraction of the landscape is devoted to species conservation (prioritize conservations lands)
2. Finite resources are allocated to conservation as it competes with other socioeconomic objectives ($$ = best conservation value)
3. The vast majority of species habitat requirements remain unknown (utilize data rich areas)
Noon et al. 2009
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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
USFWS strategic growth initiative for prioritizing sustainable habitat in the Gulf Coastal Prairies Conservation Region
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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Human footprint
Sea-level rise
Intense drought
Key threats to multiple species
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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
1. Mottled Duck (irregularly flooded marsh)
2. Redhead Duck (estuaries)
3. Whooping cranes (saltwater marsh)
A starting point:
Land use land cover change (LULCC)
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Past LC/LU
Present & Future LC/LU
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Wet
land
s
Contemporary trends Future (?)
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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Mexico?
Housing boom?
Energy development?
NOAA C-CAP LandcoverBaseline?
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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Conservation Planning
Aransas NWR - Potential acquisition boundary
• Where to expand and how much?
• Need to understand the impact of sea level rise
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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
What does sea-level rise mean for cranes?
Initial conditions 2100 at 2m sea level rise scenario
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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Initial conditions 2100 at 2m sea level rise scenario
Potential habitat for whoopers with sea level rise
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Coastal LiDAR to greatly enhance sea level predictions
Points in space = 3D vegetation and terrain
Work by Luke Beasley SCA intern
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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
• Baseline information to determine habitats vulnerable to change, and areas less vulnerable
• Prioritize areas for sustainable conservation
• ID candidate sites for refuge expansion, mitigation banking, and other conservation approaches
Wetlands
Urbanization
Complementary data and tools needed for a surrogate species approach for: