Training and Workshops: Presentations

Approaches to Biodiversity Planning
Pat Comer, Patrick Christ
NatureServe

Slide 2: Transportation Planning: paradigm shifts

"…the avoidance, minimization, and mitigation efforts used may not always provide the greatest environmental benefit, or may do very little to promote ecosystem sustainability."

Eco-Logical: An Ecosystem Approach to Infrastructure Projects

Slide 3: Biodiversity Conservation Planning: paradigm shifts

"…we protect the last of the least, and the best of the rest."

Often heard adage among staff of The Nature Conservancy throughout the 1980s and early 1990s

Slide 4: Systematic Biodiversity Conservation Planning

Seems like everyone is doing it!

• The Nature Conservancy - Ecoregional Conservation Plans & Conservation Action Plans
• State Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategies
• Bird Conservation Region and Joint Venture plans
• GAP Analysis Projects
• Forest Products Industry
• National Wildlife Refuges
• And many, many others

Slide 5: The process and products need to be...

• Transparent
• Measurable
• Actionable
• 'Bulletproof'
• Scientific Literature
• Expert Knowledge
• Partner Consensus

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Slide 6: Value of Using a Common Planning Framework

• Increase efficiency
• Improve credibility and defensibility
• Roll up or step down conservation needs across scales
• Share monitoring protocols and many data-related investments across jurisdictions

Slide 7: Adaptive Conservation

Image:
Diagram of a cycle linking 4 stages - Evaluate, Develop Strategies, Implement, Monitor

Slide 8: Vision for Sustainability

Image:
Tree shaped diagram linking ecological components of a "Vision for Sustainability". Components are connected by arrows to the components in the layer beneath them in a cascading fashion.

1. Economic
2. Social
3. Ecological
        a. Clean Water
        b. Clean Air
        c. Biodiversity
             i. Landscape Diversity - Indicators
             ii. Community Diversity - Indicators
             iii. At-risk Species - Indicators
             iii. Desirable Species - Indicators
   

Slide 9: Sustainability Vision

Image:
Tree shaped diagram linking economic components of a "Sustainability Vision". Components are connected by arrows to the components in the layer beneath them in a cascading fashion.

1. Social
2. Ecological
3. Economic
        a. Economic Values
             i. Economic Variables - Indicators
        b. Economic Values
             i. Economic Variables - Indicators
             ii. Economic Variables - Indicators
        c. Economic Values
             i. Economic Variables - Indicators

Slide 10: Sustainability Vision

Image:
Tree shaped diagram linking social components of a "Sustainability Vision"

1. Ecological
2. Economic
3. Social
        a. Social Values
             i. Social Variables - Indicators
        b. Social Values
             i. Social Variables - Indicators
             ii. Social Variables - Indicators
        c. Social Values
             i. Social Variables - Indicators

Slide 11: Sustainability Vision

Image:
Tree shaped diagram linking social components of a "Sustainability Vision" depicting indicators in greater detail

1. Ecological
2. Economic
3. Social
        a. Clean Water
        b. Clean Air
        c. Biodiversity
             i. Landscape Diversity - Indicators
                    1. Condition
                    2. Trend
                    3. Policy Response
             ii. Community Diversity - Indicators
                    1. Condition
                    2. Trend
                    3. Policy Response
             iii. At-risk Species Diversity - Indicators
                    1. Condition
                    2. Trend
                    3. Policy Response
             iv. Desirable Diversity - Indicators
                    1. Condition
                    2. Trend
                    3. Policy Response
   

Slide 12: Analysis at Multiple Spatial Scales

• Regional-scale (e.g., habitat representation throughout the Southern Rocky Mountains ecoregion)
• Public/Private Land Planning Unit (e.g., management emphasis on the Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests)
• Local Landscape (e.g., multiple habitat patches within a proposed project area)
• Individual Habitat Patch (e.g., one wetland or species habitat patch of conservation concern)

Slide 13: 10 Common Steps in Planning

• WHAT IS THE PLANNING AREA?
• WHAT ECOSYSTEMS AND SPECIES REQUIRE CONSIDERATION?
• WHERE ARE THEY?
• WHAT ARE THE REFERENCE CONDITIONS?
• WHAT ARE CURRENT CONDITIONS?
• WHAT ARE THE TRENDS AMONG THOSE CONDITIONS?
• WHAT ARE DESIRED CONDITIONS?
• WHAT STRATEGIES WILL MOVE US TOWARD DESIRED CONDITIONS?
• WHAT ARE EXPECTED OUTCOMES FROM IMPLEMENTING STRATEGIES?
• HOW WILL WE MONITOR AND EVALUATE OUR IMPLEMENTATION?

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Slide 14: Ecological Subregions of the Central Shortgrass Prairie Ecoregion

Images:
2 Maps depicting "Federal Land Status in the Southern Rocky Mountains Ecoregion"
Photo 1: Mountain landscape
Photo 2: Plains landscape

Slide 15: Conservation Elements - Providing Focus for Ecological Sustainability

Species Diversity
Species of Concern

• ESA proposed, candidates, petitioned
• G1-G3 (T1-T3) NatureServe status
• May include distinct populations

Species of Interest

• S1-S2 NatureServe status
• Other T/E not captured above
• UAFWS birds of concern
• Regional/local concern
• Other public interest requiring plan components

Ecosystem Diversity
Representative ecosystem types
Vegetation types and structural stages

Images:
Photo 1: Puma
Photo 2: Mountain landscape
Photo 3: Plains landscape
Photo 4: Purple flowers
Photo 5: Butterfly
Photo 6: Forest and stream landscape
Photo 7: Ground fowl

Slide 16: Mapping Biodiversity

Images:
5 different maps of Southern Rocky Mountain Ecoregion

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Slide 17: 10 Common Steps in Planning

• WHAT IS THE PLANNING AREA?
• WHAT ECOSYSTEMS AND SPECIES REQUIRE CONSIDERATION?
• WHERE ARE THEY?
• WHAT ARE REFERENCE CONDITIONS?
• WHAT ARE CURRENT CONDITIONS?
• WHAT ARE DESIRED CONDITIONS?
• WHAT ARE EXPECTED OUTCOMES FROM IMPLEMENTING STRATEGIES?
• WHAT STRATEGIES WILL MOVE US TOWARD DESIRED CONDITIONS?
• WHAT ECOSYSTEMS AND SPECIES REQUIRE CONSIDERATION?
• HOW WILL WE MONITOR AND EVALUATE OUR IMPLEMENTATION?

Slide 18: Variability in Nature

Images:
Line graph depicting the variability of ecosystem states or processes over time. Marks the onset of a perturbation that sends the stochastic line below a threshold outside the natural range of variation.

Slide 19: Modeling Landscape Condition for Wildlife

Images:
Map depicting landscape value with blow up of "test area".
Photo: Depicting water fowl in marshy landscape.

Slide 20: Stating Desired Conditions

"Avoid High Value Places"
"No Net Loss"

Representation Goals as measurable expressions of societal values. (e.g., "secure 25 discrete sub-populations of size j for species X, distributed across the ecoregions A, B, and C…")

Images:
Photo 1: Two antelopes
Photo 2: A minnow

Slide 21: Conditions at Local Scales

Image:
Tree shaped diagram linking:

1. "Local Landscape Integrity"
     A. Ecosystem types, Species of Concern
          i. Key Ecological Indicator
                 1. Indicator
                     a. Rating Criteria
          ii. Key Ecological Indicator
                 1. Indicator
                     a. Rating Criteria
          iii. Key Ecological Indicator
                 1. Indicator
                     a. Rating Criteria

Slide 22: Rating Criteria

Image:
Table with 4 rows and 10 columns showing how rating criteria are used to rank key ecological attributes and describe desired conditions. (Row 1)
Key Ecological Attribute: Fire Regime
Indicator: Fire Frequency
Indicator Description: Average percent of ecosystem acreage burned within last 7 years
Poor: <25
Fair: 25-50
Good: 71-75
Very Good: >75
Current Value: 44
Current Rank: Fair
Desired Conditions: Objective: Burn at least 50% of oak woodland acreage on no more than 7yr return interval.
Design Criteria: Allow at least 2 years between burns in oak woodland.

Slide 23: 10 Common Steps in Planning

• WHAT IS THE PLANNING AREA?
• WHAT ECOSYSTEMS AND SPECIES REQUIRE CONSIDERATION?
• WHERE ARE THEY?
• WHAT ARE REFERENCE CONDITIONS?
• WHAT ARE CURRENT CONDITIONS?
• WHAT ARE THE TRENDS AMONG THOSE CONDITIONS?
• WHAT ARE DESIRED CONDITIONS?
• WHAT STRATEGIES WILL MOVE US TOWARD DESIRED CONDITIONS?
• WHAT ARE EXPECTED OUTCOMES FROM IMPLEMENTING STRATEGIES?
• HOW WILL WE MONITOR AND EVALUATE OUR IMPLEMENTATION?

Slide 24: Southern Rocky Mountain Ecoregion

Image:
Graphic demonstrating the superimposition of 6 maps of the Southern Rocky Mountain Ecoregion

Slide 25: Nature Serve Vista

Image:
Photo 1) River with grass banks
Photo 2) Toad
Photo 3) Several bison
Graphic 1) Nature Serve Logo
Graphic 2) Nature Serve Vista screen shot
Graphic 3) Nature Serve Vista screen shot

Slide 23: What Are We Aiming For?

• Common Planning Framework
• Common Library
• Standard Tools

Image:
Graphic demonstrating the superimposition of 6 maps of the Southern Rocky Mountain Ecoregion

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