Identifying Corridors among Large Protected Areas in the United States

Abstract

Conservation scientists emphasize the importance of maintaining a connected network of protected areas to prevent ecosystems and populations from becoming isolated, reduce the risk of extinction, and ultimately sustain biodiversity. Keeping protected areas connected in a network is increasingly recognized as a conservation priority in the current era of rapid climate change. Models that identify suitable linkages between core areas have been used to prioritize potentially important corridors for maintaining functional connectivity. Here, we identify the most “natural” (i.e., least human-modified) corridors between large protected areas in the contiguous Unites States. We aggregated results from multiple connectivity models to develop a composite map of corridors reflecting agreement of models run under different assumptions about how human modification of land may influence connectivity. To identify which land units are most important for sustaining structural connectivity, we used the composite map of corridors to evaluate connectivity priorities in two ways: (1) among land units outside of our pool of large core protected areas and (2) among units administratively protected as Inventoried Roadless (IRAs) or Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs). Corridor values varied substantially among classes of “unprotected” non-core land units, and land units of high connectivity value and priority represent diverse ownerships and existing levels of protections. We provide a ranking of IRAs and WSAs that should be prioritized for additional protection to maintain minimal human modification. Our results provide a coarse-scale assessment of connectivity priorities for maintaining a connected network of protected areas.

Quantifying the National Significance of Local Areas for Regional Conservation Planning: North Carolina’s Mountain Treasures

“…Despite the overall higher degree of human modification and lower degree of ecological integrity of the Mountain Treasures, their importance for establishing and maintaining a nationwide and regional connected network of protected areas is nearly identical to all other roadless areas in the U.S. [6]. Many of the Mountain Treasures lie between existing protected areas and therefore represent important priorities for maintaining connections between existing conservation reserves including Great Smoky Mountains National Park and wilderness areas on the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests (Figure 3).…”

“…To quantify the value of land units for maintaining or establishing connections between protected areas, we used a mapped connectivity index from Belote et al [6]. The index was developed to identify the least human-modified corridors between large existing protected areas, which were defined as all wilderness areas regardless of size and all other GAP status 1 and 2 lands ≥ 4046.9 hectares (10,000 acres).…”

“…GAP 1 and 2 lands are classified as such because laws, policies, or their land management plans mandate that biodiversity be a central conservation goal and that land conversion, commercial development, and resource extraction is prohibited or limited [23]. Lands with a high connectivity index receive a higher wildland conservation value, as they may help to maintain ecological linkages between protected areas [6].…”

“…" Recent calls have been made to add to the system of protected areas by establishing an ecologically connected network that is more inclusive of ecosystems and species currently underrepresented in protected areas [2,3]. In response to these calls, Belote et al (2017) [4] recently conducted a national assessment of wildland values and priorities for expanding the U.S. protected area system to include the most ecologically intact and wildest lands [5], establish a national connected network [6], and better represent ecosystem diversity [7] and hotspots of range-limited species [8]. Establishing a system of conservation reserves that is more resilient to climate change may require adding intact lands that connect existing protected areas and add ecosystem and species representation to the existing system [9][10][11].…”

Understanding Snake Bite Cases Pattern Related to Volcano-Seismic Activity: An Evidence in Bondowoso, Indonesia

“…The possible tracks are usually affected by climate and vegetation. On the other hand, artificial barrier, such as street, could limit the animal's movement [25,26]. In this case, green corridor is lying along the river and crossing some artificial barrier, such as street and houses.…”