Abstract

Conserving Corridors: the National Conservation Easement Database in corridor models
Track: Conservation
Authors: Mitchel Hannon

GIS modeling of potential wildlife corridors typically uses a least cost path methodology to find the best possible ways of connecting large blocks of protected land. Although specific approaches for determining the features on the landscape that provide viable corridor options between blocks of land may vary, most approaches used by land managers include existing protected lands as a preferred feature.
Lands held in fee are typically used in GIS models to design conservation priorities. These only provide a partial picture of the existing conserved lands picture however, as the use of conservation easements as a way to protect areas from development have become increasingly popular over the past decade. This presentation will demonstrate how including the National Conservation Easement Database (NCED) in your models will lead to the designation of a possible corridor that has a greater percentage of land already conserved.