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Number of amphibian species, by freshwater ecoregion. We calculated the number of amphibian species per freshwater ecoregion using species range maps of the Global Amphibian Assessment (GAA, www.iucnredlist.org/amphibians) (IUCN et al. 2006). The 2006 GAA assessed 5,918 amphibian species and provided distribution maps for 5,640 of those species. When a range overlapped several ecoregions, we counted species as present in all those ecoregions that had part of the range. This may have resulted in an overestimate of species numbers in some ecoregions, especially those that are long and narrow in shape. This is particularly true for the Amazonas High Andes ecoregion (312), where the mountain range has been used as...
What are current conditions for important park natural resources? What are the critical data and knowledge gaps? What are some of the factors that are influencing park resource conditions? Natural Resource Condition Assessments (NRCAs) evaluate and report on the above for a subset of important natural resources in national park units (hereafter, parks). Focal study resources and indicators are selected on a park-by-park basis, guided by use of structured resource assessment and reporting frameworks. Considerations include park resource setting and enabling legislation (what are this park's most important natural resources?) and presently available data and expertise (what can be evaluated at this time?). In addition...
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Natural landscapes in the Southwestern United States are changing. In recent decades, rising temperatures and drought have led to drier conditions, contributed to large-scale ecological impacts, and affected many plant and animal species across the region. The current and future trajectory of climate change underscores the need for managers and conservation professionals to understand the impacts of these patterns on natural resources. In this regional assessment of the Southwest Climate Change Initiative, we evaluate changes in annual average temperatures from 1951–2006 across major habitats and large watersheds and compare these changes to the number of species of conservation concern that are found within these...
Conclusions:This report sets out guidelines intended to provide BCEAG member jurisdictions with a coordinated approach to recommendations regarding the management of human use activities within wildlife corridors and habitat patches in the Bow Valley of Alberta. The guidelines provide an advisory framework for decision making related to wildlife management as well as recommendations for mitigating the negative effects of human activity on wildlife in the region.Thresholds/Learnings:Male and female cougars avoided areas of high human use and where human use levels exceeded 250-500 users per month.
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GAP distribution models represent the areas where species are predicted to occur based on habitat associations. GAP distribution models are the spatial arrangement of environments suitable for occupation by a species. In other words, a species distribution is created using a deductive model to predict areas suitable for occupation within a species range. To represent these suitable environments, GAP compiled existing GAP data, where available, and compiled additional data where needed. Existing data sources were the Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project (SWReGAP) and the Southeast Gap Analysis Project (SEGAP) as well as a data compiled by Sanborn Solutions and Mason, Bruce and Girard. Habitat associations were...
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Number of mammal species, by terrestrial ecoregion. We compiled data on terrestrial mammals by querying the WWF WildFinder database for species occurrences by ecoregion. The WWF WildFinder database is a spatially explicit online database of vertebrate species occurrences by ecoregion. These data were displayed in a map published in The Atlas of Global Conservation (Hoekstra et al., University of California Press, 2010). More information at http://nature.org/atlas.
The development of water resources to satisfy urban water needs has had serious impacts on freshwater ecosystem integrity and on valuable ecosystem services, but positive trends are emerging that point the way toward a solution. We demonstrate this through case studies of water resource development in and around five large urban areas: Los Angeles, Phoenix, New York, San Antonio, and Atlanta. Providing freshwater ecosystems with the water flows necessary to sustain their health, while meeting the other challenges of urban water management, will require greatly increased water productivity in conjunction with improvements in the degree to which planning and management take ecosystem needs into account. There is great...
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This file represents the final version of an assessment of the extent, condition, and distribution of grassland types in Arizona as indicated by expert interviews and field verification. Coverage includes the state of Arizona, Southwestern portions of the state of New Mexico, and the Northern portion of Sonora, Mexico.
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Grasslands comprise a small part of the Chihuahuan Desert but are vital to the biological diversity of the ecoregion. Characteristic grasses of the Chihuahuan Desert are tobosa (Pleuraphis mutica) and black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda) but other common species include alakali sacaton (Sporobolus airoides), big alkali sacaton (S. wrightii), mesa dropseed (S. flexuosus), blue grama (B. gracilis), sideoats grama (B. curtipendula ), hairy grama (B. hirsuta), slender grama (B. filiformis), chino grama (B. brevista), spruce top grama (B. chondrosioides), bush muhly (Muhlenbergia porteri), several three awns (Aristida spp.), and fluff grass (Dasyochloa pulchela) (Johnson 1974, Dinerstein et al. 2000). Many of the sites discussed...
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Number of globally threatened animals, by terrestrial ecoregion. We compiled a vertebrate species list for each ecoregion from WWF’s WildFinder database (WWF 2006). This list was then compared against the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2008) to determine the number of species per ecoregion that are threatened. Threatened species are those listed by IUCN Red List as Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered (www.redlist.org). These data were derived by The Nature Conservancy, and were displayed in a map published in The Atlas of Global Conservation (Hoekstra et al., University of California Press, 2010). More information at http://nature.org/atlas. Data derived from: World Wildlife Fund (WWF). 2006....
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This assessment presents GIS data containing results of all freshwater assessment analyses conducted by The Nature Conservancy for Washington State. This data set includes values for biodiversity metrics (e.g. suitability, threat, number of species) across all HUC6 watersheds in Washington State, as well as identifies rivers, watersheds, and wetlands that provide the best opportunities for conservation of Washington's native freshwater species and ecological systems. Fore more information, visit waconservation.org .
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Gridded fields of changes in discharge due to historical deforestation and conversion to agriculture from Douglas et al. (2005). This historical scenario compared discharge (Q) generated from pre-industrial land cover with discharge derived from contemporary landcover. Change in Q = difference between river discharge (Q) generated from pre-industrial land cover (based on WWF Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World (Olson et al., 2001) with river discharge derived from contemporary landcover. Historical and contemporary Q was estimated from flow routed RO generated by the UNH Water Systems Analysis Group Water Balance Model (WBM) at a 30' (lat x long) spatial resolution (Fekete et al. 2002). Citations in dataset history.
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A Vision for the Chihuahuan Desert The Chihuahuan Desert, shared by two nations, is one of the most biologically rich desert ecoregions in the world, alive with large mammals, birds, reptiles and an unmatched diversity of cactus species. The desert’s rivers, streams and springs are considered to be of global significance, home to fish species found nowhere else on earth. Our vision is a Chihuahuan Desert where governments, local communities, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, landowners, and other stakeholders are working together to ensure that the richness and diversity of wildlife, habitats, natural communities, and ecological processes of the Chihuahuan Desert are conserved and, where necessary,...
map background search result map search result map Number of Mammal Species by Terrestrial Ecoregion Number of Globally Threatened Animals by Terrestrial Ecoregion Number of Amphibian Species by Freshwater Ecoregion Washington State Statewide Freshwater Assessment Historical Change In River Discharge due to Deforestation (km3/yr) Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) Modeled Distribution Extent and Condition of Grasslands in Arizona, Northern Mexico, and Southwestern New Mexico Natural Resource Condition Assessments Status and Distribution of Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands in the United States and Mexico Managing Changing Landscapes in the Southwestern United States Ecoregion-Based Conservation in the Chihuahuan Desert Washington State Statewide Freshwater Assessment Extent and Condition of Grasslands in Arizona, Northern Mexico, and Southwestern New Mexico Managing Changing Landscapes in the Southwestern United States Ecoregion-Based Conservation in the Chihuahuan Desert Status and Distribution of Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands in the United States and Mexico Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) Modeled Distribution Natural Resource Condition Assessments Historical Change In River Discharge due to Deforestation (km3/yr) Number of Mammal Species by Terrestrial Ecoregion Number of Globally Threatened Animals by Terrestrial Ecoregion Number of Amphibian Species by Freshwater Ecoregion