Scale and Conservation Planning The scale of investigation

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Scale and Conservation Planning • The scale of investigation may have profound effects on

Scale and Conservation Planning • The scale of investigation may have profound effects on the patterns that one finds • the obvious patterns of scale perceived by the conservation planner rarely coincide with the spatial structure and configuration that drive the behavior and ecosystem processes that are the subject of conservation efforts

We review concepts of scale and provide examples of how scaling issues can affect

We review concepts of scale and provide examples of how scaling issues can affect different aspects of conservation planning • • selection of conservation targets, identification and impacts of threats, delineation of conservation priority areas, and the influence and aggregation of local actions toward realizing broader conservation goals.

Definitions and Concepts • Scale (general): Characteristic of a set of observations that have

Definitions and Concepts • Scale (general): Characteristic of a set of observations that have a definable grain and extent. What can be observed when a system is looked at with a specific grain and within a defined extent

Definitions and Concepts • Cartographic (i. e. , Data) Scale: The accuracy and precision

Definitions and Concepts • Cartographic (i. e. , Data) Scale: The accuracy and precision with which spatial observations are recorded • Ecological Scale: The scales at which a processes or patterns it creates can be observed. Grain refers to the smallest element upon which a process depends. Extent is the coarsest pattern a process produces.

Definitions and Concepts • Analysis Scale: The scale selected to address a specific analysis

Definitions and Concepts • Analysis Scale: The scale selected to address a specific analysis objective where extent is defined by maximum the project boundaries and grain is the smallest unit being considered. Analysis scale is under the control of the planner and may be different than data or ecological scale.

Fire Regimes Invasive Species Pedogenesis Conservation Threats Climate Change Habitat Loss/Modification Landscape Mosaics Succession

Fire Regimes Invasive Species Pedogenesis Conservation Threats Climate Change Habitat Loss/Modification Landscape Mosaics Succession Habitat Use/ Modification Regional Patterns Ecological System Responses Population Responses Dispersal Individual Responses Foraging Reproduction Natural Processes Home Ranges Biophysical Environment Time Extent Long Large Short Small Fine-scale Conservation Planning Coarse-scale Conservation Planning

Why is scale is important to conservation planning • Sage Grouse: – Negatively associated

Why is scale is important to conservation planning • Sage Grouse: – Negatively associated with agriculture at the range -wide scale – Positively associated with agriculture at the landscape scale – Negatively associated with agriculture at the site scale

Cartographic Scale

Cartographic Scale

Influence of Scale on Inferences from Data • Grain of data for different conservation

Influence of Scale on Inferences from Data • Grain of data for different conservation questions: – Priority regions – Priority sites – Site-scale prioritization – Management planning

A. Figure 1. Scale for analysis in conservation planning is determined by the extent

A. Figure 1. Scale for analysis in conservation planning is determined by the extent of the planning area and the finest analysis unit used (i. e. , grain). For effective conservation planning, the analysis scale must be appropriately matched with the scale of the data used in the conservation plan (i. e. , cartographic scale) and the scales relevant to the conservation targets and threats. Olsen et al. (2001, A) used ecoregions at their grain to define globally (i. e. , extent) significant areas for conservation. Dobson et al. (200 X) looked at the occurrence of endangered species with a grain of counties within the extent of the United States (B). In their Pacific Northwest Coast Ecoregional Assessment (C), The Nature Conservancy used 400 -ha squares as their grain to establish near-shore marine conservation priorities within the extent of the Pacific Northwest Coast Ecoregion (REFERENCE). B. C.

Scaling Conservation Planning • Where Questions

Scaling Conservation Planning • Where Questions

Scaling Conservation Planning • Scaling Where Questions - the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem

Scaling Conservation Planning • Scaling Where Questions - the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem

How Questions • TNC’s CAP process (CMP standards)

How Questions • TNC’s CAP process (CMP standards)

When Questions • Example from Castle Creek, Owyhee County, ID

When Questions • Example from Castle Creek, Owyhee County, ID

 • Research needs • Conclusions

• Research needs • Conclusions

Long Natural Processes Short Temporal Scale Fire Regimes Pedogenesis Invasive Species Conservation Threats Habitat

Long Natural Processes Short Temporal Scale Fire Regimes Pedogenesis Invasive Species Conservation Threats Habitat Loss/Modification Climate Change Community Responses Succession Dispersal Habitat Modification Foraging Reproduction Home Range Fine Population Responses Individual Responses Spatial Scale Fine-scale Planning Coarse-scale Planning