SYMP 24-3
Designing for resilience: Spatial and temporal scale conservation planning for a working landscape
The majority of humans now live in cities with much of the remaining land increasingly comprised of working landscapes. If native ecosystems and species are to survive, conservation planners no longer have the option of ignoring conservation opportunities in urban and agricultural areas. For planning to be effective, it should address multiple spatial and temporal scales. Here we use the American River Parkway (ARP) in Sacramento, California to examine planning strategies for multiple scales within human-dominated landscapes. To situate the ARP within a broader spatial context we use a combination of Marxan reserve selection analyses and least cost connectivity models to identify areas of statewide and regional conservation importance and the spatial relationship of the ARP to these areas. Next, we use recently completed work from a nearby river system to examine the potential effects of spatial scale on landscape connectivity for several native animal species. To address local biodiversity needs, we demonstrate a prototype tool we have developed that uses Marxan optimization software to aid plant palette selection for restoration activities, including providing resources for a documented 59 butterfly species. Finally, temporal issues are addressed by comparing current land cover and species presence with historical data.
Results/Conclusions
The ARP was not found to play a major role in a potential interconnected conservation network in the ecoregion. However, it does play an important role in local ecological patterns and processes. An exception lies in the west end of the Parkway near the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers where it could play a role in linking the Yolo Bypass with areas to the north. Results from the landscape connectivity analysis demonstrate the significant effects that spatial extent can potentially exert on outcomes and strategies for conservation planning. Our plant palette analysis demonstrates the success of the tool prototype as well as potential novel uses of the popular Marxan software in non-spatial capacities. Our temporal analyses show that 92% and 99% of riparian and valley oak woodland (respectively) within 1 mile of the American River have been lost to human-caused conversion. Freshwater wetlands and grasslands have only lost 11% and 18% (respectively) in comparison. Of the 23 rare species documented in the ARP in a statewide database, 3 have experienced local extirpations, with one species (Sacramento Valley tiger beetle) no longer extant in the ARP. These results can help managers make conservation decision within the ARP.