Designing Landscapes for Sustainable Bird Populations Structured Decision Making Workshop Atlantic Coast Joint Venture

2 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

3 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

4 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

5 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

Designing Landscapes for Sustainable Bird Populations Structured Decision Making Workshop Atlantic Coast Joint Venture

Five core elements - PrOACT Pr oblem – Solve the right problem O bjectives – Describe the desired outcomes A lternatives – Consider any reasonable actions that achieve the outcomes C onsequences – Describe how well alternatives meet objectives T radeoffs – Evaluate consequences of each alternative – Core of structured decision making (Hammond et al., 1999). 7

8 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.

9 Dividing the problem Problem 1 : 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. Problem 2 : 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. Biological planning – Species Selection/Habitat Relationships

10 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 Biological planning – Species Selection/Habitat Relationships

11 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 Density Old treesSnags Large Patch Size High Fire Frequency Growing Season Fire Bare Ground Wet Savannah / Bogs BASP XXXXX BRNU XXX HESP XXXXXX NOBO XXXXXX RCWO XXXXX AMKE XXXX Biological planning – Species Selection/Habitat Relationships

Designing Landscapes for Sustainable Bird Populations Structured Decision Making Workshop Atlantic Coast Joint Venture

13 Dividing the problem Problem 1 : 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. Problem 2 : 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. Conservation Design – Desired Landscape Configuration

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 14 Conservation Design – Desired Landscape Configuration

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? 15