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Sonoma, California, USA
By Rich Hunter
- Contact
- Rich Hunter
- sec-hunter@vom.com
- Software
- ArcInfo 8.1 and Windows 2000
- Printer
- HP DesignJet 500
- Data Source(s)
- Gap Analysis Program, California Wildlife Habitat Relationships Program, U.S. Geological Survey, National Land Cover Data, and Stephen P. Teale Data Center
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This poster illustrates the following GIS applications for addressing connectivity in conservation planning: (1) combining maps of environmental variables to depict bobcat habitat suitability; (2) assessing habitat suitability maps for connectivity, "choke points," and opportunities; and (3) comparing results with expert knowledge of habitat corridors.
The San Francisco Bay Region is endowed with a rich natural heritage of species and habitat diversity. The region's lush coastal forests and oak savannah hills provide a unique variety of habitats defined by physical characteristics including slope, elevation, climate, soil, and other factors. Habitat connectivity has emerged as a central issue for large-scale conservation planning because fragmentation is perhaps the greatest of all threats to biodiversity. A growing body of evidence showing the effects of fragmentation makes a compelling case for preserving functional linkages between habitat areas. These habitat linkages need to be analyzed at several scales and for a range of species. This poster focused on large mammalian carnivores and a regional perspective on connectivity.
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