Designing Landscapes for Sustainable Bird Populations

Designing Landscapes for Sustainable Bird

Populations

Structured Decision Making Workshop

Atlantic Coast Joint Venture

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Problem

Develop a methodology for assessing and designing landscapes for sustainable populations of birds [and other wildlife] in the SAMBI area that can be applied in other areas of the eastern United States.

– Prioritizes landscape based on current and potential future conditions

– Conservation implementation on the priority areas is expected to result in target populations of birds associated with these ecosystems.

– Selection of areas based on fundamental concepts of landscape ecology and conservation biology.

– Can be updated periodically as new data become available.

Biological planning - Ecological context

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Workshop objectives

Determine which species should be used to design landscapes based on their habitat requirements.

– Which species represent unique map-able habitat requirements?

Determine important landscape characteristics for each habitat

– Which habitat landscape characteristics are important in prioritizing areas?

– Which characteristics are compensatory and which are limiting?

Biological planning – Species Selection/Habitat RelationshipsConservation Design – Desired Landscape Configuration

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Species selection

Determine which species should be used to design landscapes

Classify surrogacy of each species – Flagship – charismatic species that attract public support– Umbrella – species that require large areas of habitat, thus

conferring protection to other species– Biodiversity– presence may indicate high species richness– Keystone – species that are critical...

Determine habitat characteristics for each species Determine the intangible tradeoffs

– Bio-political constraints

Biological planning – Species Selection/Habitat Relationships

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Habitat and landscape criteria

Determine habitat characteristics that are critical to the landscape design

Classify surrogacy of each habitat– Flagship – charismatic habitat that attracts public support

– Biodiversity – possess high species richness

– Unique – required for some species to be present

Determine landscape criteria for each habitat Identify limiting factors Determine the intangible tradeoffs

– Bio-political constraints

Conservation Design – Desired Landscape Configuration


Populations



Five core elements - PrOACT

Problem – Solve the right problem

Objectives – Describe the desired outcomes

Alternatives – Consider any reasonable actions that achieve the outcomes

Consequences – Describe how well alternatives meet objectives

Tradeoffs – Evaluate consequences of each alternative

– Core of structured decision making (Hammond et al., 1999).

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Problem

Develop a methodology for assessing and designing landscapes for sustainable populations of birds [and other wildlife] in the SAMBI area that can be applied in other areas of the eastern United States.

– Prioritizes landscape based on current and potential future conditions

– Conservation implementation on the priority areas is expected to result in target populations of birds associated with these ecosystems.

– Selection of areas based on fundamental concepts of landscape ecology and conservation biology.

– Can be updated periodically as new data become available.

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Dividing the problem

Problem1: Identify a group of birds (focal species) associated

with open pine systems that represent co-occurring species, are a reliable tool for biodiversity assessment, and are sensitive to resources, area, connectivity, and natural processes.

Problem2: Identify characteristics of priority areas for conserving and restoring open pines systems that satisfy criteria for quantity, configuration, and location to achieve target populations of the umbrella species.


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Species selection

Determine which species should be used to design landscapes

Determine key habitat characteristics for each species

Classify surrogacy of each species – Flagship – charismatic species that attract public support– Umbrella – species that require large areas of habitat, thus

conferring protection to other species– Biodiversity– presence may indicate high species richness– Keystone – species that are critical to ecosystem function.

Determine the intangible tradeoffs– Bio-political constraints


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Assessing consequences

– Basis Preference to high priority species Unidentified attributes?

Habitat Characteristics

Species

Low % Canopy Cover

Diverse, Herb-

aceous Under-story

Low Basal Area/ Tree

DensityOld

trees Snags

Large Patch Size

High Fire Frequency

Growing Season

FireBare

Ground

Wet Savannah

/ Bogs

BASP X X X X X

BRNU X X X

HESP X X X X X X

NOBO X X X X X X

RCWO X X X X X

AMKE X X X X



Populations



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Dividing the problem

Problem1: Identify a group of birds (focal species) associated

with open pine systems that represent co-occurring species, are a reliable tool for biodiversity assessment, and are sensitive to resources, area, connectivity, and natural processes.

Problem2: Identify characteristics of priority areas for conserving and restoring open pines systems that satisfy criteria for quantity, configuration, and location to achieve target populations of the umbrella species.


Habitat and landscape criteria

Determine habitat characteristics that are critical to the landscape design

Identify limiting versus compensatory characteristics Classify “surrogacy” of each habitat

– Flagship – charismatic habitat that attracts public support

– Biodiversity – possess high species richness

– Unique – required for some species to be present

Determine the intangible tradeoffs– Bio-political constraints

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Homework

Review the problem statement– Did we get it right?

Look over the species x habitat attributes tables– SAMBI species and habitat characteristics are next

Look over the landscape prioritization objectives– What other characteristics are important?

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Designing Landscapes for Sustainable Bird Populations

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