New Report: Resilient Sites for Terrestrial Conservation in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Region

The work that Mark and his team have done represents an innovative approach to transforming conservation planning and implementation so that it is more effective in a rapidly changing world.

Report and links to recorded webex presentations found here: Resilient Sites

The central idea of this project is that by mapping key geophysical settings and evaluating them for landscape characteristics that buffer against climate effects, we can identify the most resilient places in the landscape. Ideally, these places will conserve the full spectrum of physical arenas that create and support species diversity. Additionally, each individual place will offer a range of microclimates and options for species movement, thus maintaining landscape functionality and improving the chances of species’ survival in a changing climate.

The approach is based on observations that species diversity is highly correlated with geophysical diversity in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic (Anderson and Ferree 2010), that species take advantage of the micro-climates available in complex landscapes, and that species can move to adjust to climatic changes if the area is permeable. Thus, the characteristics of geophysical representation, landscape complexity and landscape permeability, are primary concepts in this research.

In this approach the aim is to identify the most resilient examples of key geophysical settings (sand plains, granite mountains, limestone valleys, for example) in relation to habitats for species of greatest conservation need, to provide conservationists with a nuanced picture of the places where conservation is most likely to succeed.

Posted by Anne Wallach Thomas on Wednesday, February 1, 20121:06AM

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