Abstract

Mapping Grassland Bird Habitat & Ecosystem Services
Track: Conservation
Authors: Caitlin Jensen

We used GIS to identify areas showing high potential for grassland bird habitat conservation across the Chicago Metro Region. In a GIS, we combined modeled bird abundance and ecosystem service valuation data to identify important, but currently unprotected, grassland habitats. We identified over 90,000 acres representing more than $439 million worth of ecosystem services. This work demonstrates the benefits of combining biodiversity and economic data for informing land-management decisions.