Final Report: Science to Support Adaptive Landscape Planning and Decision Making for Gopher Tortoise Conservation
Dates
Publication Date
2019-02-25
Citation
Clinton T Moore, and Jeff Hepinstall-Cymerman, 2019-02-25, Final Report: Science to Support Adaptive Landscape Planning and Decision Making for Gopher Tortoise Conservation: .
Summary
The gopher tortoise is a familiar turtle species across the southeastern Coastal Plain, but its population has declined significantly over several decades. A principal reason is that much of its primary habitat – sparse, open stands of mature pine – has been replaced by development or agriculture, or has become degraded through the suppression of low‐intensity, forage‐producing ground fires. The gopher tortoise is a “keystone” species, meaning that its disappearance from the landscape would negatively impact many other species that make use of its underground burrows. Out of concern over its decline and its important role in the ecosystem, the gopher tortoise is being considered for listing under the federal Endangered Species [...]
Summary
The gopher tortoise is a familiar turtle species across the southeastern Coastal Plain, but its population has declined significantly over several decades. A principal reason is that much of its primary habitat – sparse, open stands of mature pine – has been replaced by development or agriculture, or has become degraded through the suppression of low‐intensity, forage‐producing ground fires. The gopher tortoise is a “keystone” species, meaning that its disappearance from the landscape would negatively impact many other species that make use of its underground burrows. Out of concern over its decline and its important role in the ecosystem, the gopher tortoise is being considered for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act across its range. However, because gopher tortoises occur on many private lands, federal listing could have widespread impacts on the economy of the region and the livelihood of its citizens. The State of Georgia is interested in conserving lands to safeguard tortoise populations within its borders and ultimately make federal listing unnecessary. We undertook research to better understand life history patterns and habitat affiliations of the tortoise and to evaluate alternative strategies for creating networks of conservation reserves. In one effort, we recaptured wild tortoises first marked in research conducted over 20 years ago, and we used these data to refine our knowledge about long‐term survival and movement patterns. Conservation agencies routinely count tortoise populations under standardized surveys, and we developed models that indicate a population’s capacity for increase based on these “snapshots” of the population. From survey data collected statewide, we developed models and predictive maps of habitat suitability. Finally, we developed computing algorithms that evaluate alternative ways to assemble land parcels into connected conservation reserves, where better strategies are those that maximize amount of suitable habitat and capacity for population increase through the acquisition of least acreage. Our results will be useful to conservation agencies in interpreting the data they collect and in planning conservation strategies.
