Abstract

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Paper
An Approach to Regional Habitat Connectivity--Fragmentation Analysis and Reporting
Track: Ecology and Conservation
Author(s): Bruce Durtsche, D. McCluskey, Christopher Benson

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is seeking ways to maintain and conserve existing habitat connections and restore severed connections between habitat patches. BLM is developing and testing a raster-based approach to describe and report the location and extent of terrestrial habitat connectivity and fragmentation over large regional landscapes using a 30-meter minimum mapping unit. This analysis is spatially explicit and repeatable, thus allowing for monitoring and reporting of changes in landscape conditions in broad regions over time. GIS technology is used to link regional habitat (land cover) data with land-use activities, disturbances, and associated management actions. This methodology is being applied in the prairie-grassland region, rangewide sagebrush/greater sage-grouse region, and other large regions of the western United States in support of the BLM assessment-inventory-monitoring, greater sage-grouse, land-use planning-NEPA, and vegetation management national strategies.

Bruce Durtsche
U.S. Bureau of Land Management
Wildlife
DFC, BLDG 50
DENVER , CO 80225
US
Phone: 303-236-6310
Fax: 303 236-3508
E-mail: bruce_durtsche@blm.gov

D. McCluskey
USDI Bureau of Land Management
Washington Office
1387 S. Vinnell Way
Boise , ID 83709
US
Phone: (208) 373-4042
Fax: (208) 373-4050
E-mail: cal_mccluskey@blm.gov

Christopher Benson
USDI Bureau of Land Management
National Science and Technology Center
Bldg 50, Denver Federal Center
PO Box 25047
Denver , CO 80225-0047
US
Phone: 303 236-0719
Fax: 303 236-3508
E-mail: christopher_benson@blm.gov