Consistent with “best practices” for State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs), most states have identified priority landscapes (e.g. Conservation Opportunity Areas). Identification methods vary among states, but most are heavily dependent upon known locations or ranges of Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). In a parallel effort, the 15 States of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) have been working with the USFWS and other partners to develop the Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy (SECAS) Blueprint, a living spatial plan identifying priority areas for shared conservation action in the face of future change. The Blueprint, developed in pieces by hundreds of people representing dozens of conservation [...]
Summary
Consistent with “best practices” for State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs), most states have identified priority landscapes (e.g. Conservation Opportunity Areas). Identification methods vary among states, but most are heavily dependent upon known locations or ranges of Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). In a parallel effort, the 15 States of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) have been working with the USFWS and other partners to develop the Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy (SECAS) Blueprint, a living spatial plan identifying priority areas for shared conservation action in the face of future change. The Blueprint, developed in pieces by hundreds of people representing dozens of conservation organizations, largely defines conservation priorities based upon habitat conditions. Due to differences in approaches, SWAP priority areas and SECAS priority areas do not always align.
Arkansas is one of several SEAFWA states that has yet to identify priority areas within its SWAP. For the past year, the USFWS has been working informally with staff of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) to develop a process for designating priority areas. Prototype maps have been developed based on species distributions combined with habitat condition and change information contained in the SECAS Blueprint.
Through this project, I will facilitate the advancement, refinement, and (ultimately) the finalization of the delineation process for Conservation Opportunity Areas within the state of Arkansas. This project will help the AGFC to work more strategically to conserve species, as well as illuminate how a combined species and habitat assessment approach might inform refinement of priority areas within the SECAS Blueprint and possibly other SWAPs.
