INCORPORATING ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS INTO CONSERVATION ASSESSMENTS

Abstract

The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Gap Analysis Program (GAP) is the main conservation assessment program in the United States. It relies upon land stewardship status (protected vs. unprotected) in setting conservation priorities and fails to incorporate ecological indicators of fragmentation (i.e., roads and developed areas). Geographical Information Systems (GIS) was used to determine the degree to which various land cover types in Maryland are roaded/developed. Land covers were considered threatened if more than 20% was roaded or more than 15% coincided with exurban or greater development in 2010. Furthermore, land cover was considered vulnerable if less than 10% was protected. With the exception of Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Dune and Maritime Grassland, all land covers in Maryland are threatened and/or vulnerable. Land stewardship status does not reflect the degree to which a land cover is roaded or developed, thus GAP conservation assessments could benefit from the incorporation of such ecological indicators.