The terrestrial Conservation Value Index is one of the core components of Middle Southeast Blueprint 2020. It is based on the following 5 terrestrial indices:
- The Species Index for terrestrial ecosystems
- Terrestrial Habitat Condition Index
- Conservation Hubs (partner focus areas)
- Conservation Network Anchors (protected lands)
- The Risk Index
The underlying indices are not currently available online. More information about how each index is developed is available in the Middle Southeast Blueprint 2020 Development Process.
Combining the terrestrial inputs into a terrestrial Conservation Value Index
The 5 inputs are combined as “barcodes” (e.g. 12241) in order of Species Index, Habitat Index, Hub, Anchor, then Risk Index. The terrestrial barcode is contained in the “T_Barcode” field of the terrestrial CVI dataset.
The barcodes are then placed into 4 Action Classes and associated subcategories that characterize the existing network of lands and waters. The Action Classes are captured in the “T_ActCat” and “T_Class” fields of the terrestrial CVI dataset.
- Maintain (1): Areas with a high concentration of Federal trust species (Species Index=3) & highly intact landscapes (Habitat Index=4)
- Enhance (2a-d): Areas with a high concentration of Federal trust species (Species Index=3) & moderately fragmented landscapes (Habitat Index=3), OR highly intact landscapes (Habitat Index=4) with a low or moderate concentration of Federal trust species (Species Index<3)
- Restore (3a-c): Areas with a moderate or high concentration of Federal trust species (Species Index>1) & highly fragmented landscapes (Habitat Index=2), OR moderately fragmented landscapes (Habitat Index=3) with low concentration of Federal trust species (Species Index=1)
- Low Return on Investment (4a-e): All other combinations of Species Index & Habitat Index scores
Within each class, the barcodes are ranked in descending order for each variable in succession (Species, Habitat, Hub, Anchor, then Risk) and assigned a Conservation Value Index score between 0 (low) and 216 (maximum number of unique terrestrial barcode combinations). In other words, pixels with the highest-ranked barcode receive a terrestrial score of 216. Pixels with the lowest-ranked barcode receive a score of 1, while pixels with non-habitat (urban areas and reservoirs) receive a score of 0. The terrestrial CVI score is contained in the “T_CVI” field of the terrestrial CVI dataset.
