Transboundary Connectivity: Washington & British Columbia

We propose an international partnership to facilitate the identification of habitat connectivity conservation opportunities and implementation of connectivity projects in the transboundary area of Washington and British Columbia. The project will engage a transboundary subgroup of the WHCWG co-led by experts from both Washington and British Columbia to: (1) summarize and interpret our statewide and Columbia Plateau ecoregional products (see www.waconnected.org), as well as provincial products, with the objective of highlighting general connectivity patterns and to define where and how to focus our operational-scale transboundary habitat connectivity analyses; (2) establish subregional teams to collaborate on finer-scale connectivity analyses with a focus on the Okanogan-Kettle subregion first (Appendix B) and following with the Columbia-Selkirk subregion as resources allow; and (3) ensure coordinated methodologies, communications, and data sharing between subregional teams. Further, we will complete an empirical evaluation of connectivity models for two focal species. Final products will include identification of site-specific habitat areas and linkages, including those expected to be resilient to climate change and to facilitate species range shifts in response to climate change. We are requesting the first year of funding for this project.

FY2012Objective (British Columbia):

Establish a single, synthesized platform for spatial data and inventory of resource conditions/trends, decision support tools, a strategy to define recommendations, and a consultative process for advancing recommendations for protection and management of biodiversity on a landscape scale within the Okanagan Basin and transboundary to integrate with landscape and conservation planning in North Central Washington.

FY2012Objectives (Washington):

1. Convene a transboundary subgroup composed of resource specialists and landscape analysts from both British Columbia and Washington.
2. Begin synthesizing information from the statewide and Columbia Plateau analyses (WHCWG 2010, 2012) and other studies (e.g., Singleton et al. 2002, Holt and Kehm 2012) and tools (e.g. Hectares BC), 3. Identify focus areas within each subregion for site-specific connectivity analysis.
3. Determine appropriate analysis methods, and spatial data layers will be compiled and made compatible across the focus areas.

FY2013Objective (Transboundary):1. Conduct transboundary connectivity analyses and share results for the Okanagan-Kettle subregion. The transboundary subgroup will establish an Okanagan-Kettle subregional team with local knowledge to conduct an analysis of existing habitat connectivity. Likely future land-use patterns will be overlaid onto the analysis of existing connectivity patterns to identify and prioritize opportunities to maintain or restore important linkages. This information will be shared in a report made available through web applications, synthesized GIS data layers, and the GNLCC data portal. These products will provide fine-scale information regarding priority areas for habitat connectivity within the Okanagan-Kettle subregion.

1. Identify transboundary climate-connectivity priorities.The WHCWG Climate Change subgroup will work in collaboration with the Okanagan-Kettle subregional team and conservation stakeholders to identify linkages likely to be resilient to climate change and to promote climate-driven shifts in species ranges. Transboundary climate-connectivity results will be synthesized with spatial data layers generated in Objective 1, and user-driven decision support materials will be developed to guide regional climate-connectivity decision-making.

FY2014Objectives (Transboundary):

1. Define subset of 4 individual linkages for operational scale analyses and conservation design.
2. Conduct connectivity analyses and conservation design within each linkage
3. Identify transboundary climate-connectivity priorit