A network model framework for prioritizing wetland conservation in the Great Plains

Albanese, Gene; Haukos, David A.

doi:10.1007/s10980-016-0436-0

Cited by 29 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…Moreover, the persistence of remaining wetlands is threatened by increasing sediment accumulation, which could be exaggerated by regionally predicted climate change (Luo et al 1997;Burris and Skagen 2013;Uden et al 2015). Large-scale wetland losses have not only reduced the total available number and area of extant wetlands, and wetland density, but also reduced network connectivity by increasing the distance among remaining wetlands (Johnson et al 2012;Burris and Skagen 2013;McIntyre and Strauss 2013;Albanese and Haukos 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One way to assess changes in network connectivity and structure is the use of network models (Barrat et al 2008). Network models can be used to calculate a large set of network metrics to assess different aspects of flow and connectivity of wildlife populations across spatially-structured habitat networks, such as the Rainwater Basin wetlands, and have been increasingly used in recent years (Bunn et al 2000;Urban and Keitt 2001;Fortuna et al 2006;Galpern et al 2011;Rayfield et al 2011;Foltête et al 2012;Albanese and Haukos 2017). Network models are well suited to account for the hierarchical structure of most complex networks (Vicsek 2002;Palla et al 2005;Clauset et al 2008).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Effects of large-scale wetland loss on network connectivity of the Rainwater Basin, Nebraska

Verheijen

Varner²,

Haukos

2018

Landscape Ecol

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Context The Rainwater Basin region in south-central Nebraska supports a complex network of spatiallyisolated wetlands that harbor diverse floral and faunal communities. Since European settlement, many wetlands have been lost from the network, which has increased distances among remaining wetlands. As a result, populations of wildlife species with limited dispersal capabilities may have become isolated and face greater local extinction risks. Objectives We compared the pre-European settlement and current extent of the Rainwater Basin network to assess the effects of wetland losses on network connectivity for a range of maximum dispersal distances. Methods We constructed network models for a range of maximum dispersal distances and calculated network metrics to assess changes in network connectivity and the relative importance of individual wetlands in regulating flow. Results Since European settlement, the number of wetlands in the Rainwater Basin has decreased by [ 90%. The average distance to the nearest neighboring wetland has increased by 150% to * 1.2 km, and the dispersal distance necessary to travel throughout the whole network has increased from 3.5 to 10.0 km. Last, relative importance of individual wetlands depended on the maximum dispersal distance. Which wetlands to preserve to maintain connectivity might therefore depend on the dispersal capabilities of the species or taxa of interest. Conclusions To preserve a broad range of biodiversity, conservation efforts should focus on preserving dense clusters of wetlands at fine spatial scales to maintain current levels of network connectivity, and restoring connections between clusters to facilitate long-range dispersal of species with limited dispersal capabilities.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of large-scale wetland loss on network connectivity of the Rainwater Basin, Nebraska

Verheijen

Varner²,

Haukos

2018

Landscape Ecol

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“…Therefore, in substance ESP construction is to identify the priority areas for regional ecological services, security, and sustainability. Similar to the concept of 'Secure Urbanism' (Hodson and Marvin, 2009), 'Resilient Infrastructure' (Sutton-Grier et al, 2015;Liu et al, 2016), and 'Spatial Conservation Prioritization' (Hossain et al, 2017;Albanese and Haukos, 2016), ESP can be seen as the cognition and complement of the concept of 'Planetary Boundary' (Steffen et al, 2015), from the perspective of spatial patterns.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking ecosystem services and circuit theory to identify ecological security patterns

Peng

Yang

Liu

et al. 2018

Science of The Total Environment

534

227

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The rapid process of urbanization, accompanied by the sharp increase of urban population and expansion of artificial surface, has resulted in the loss of natural ecosystems and the degradation of ecosystem services. Identifying and protecting key places that have high importance for ecological sustainability are great challenges. Ecological security patterns are such an integrated approach to protecting regional ecological sustainability. In this study, taking Yunnan Province, China as a case study area, ecological sources were identified through ecosystem services, and circuit theory was used to model ecosystem processes in heterogeneous landscapes via calculating the 'resistance' or 'current', and thus to identify ecological corridors and key ecological nodes. The results showed that, ecological security patterns included 66 ecological sources, 186 ecological corridors, 24 pinch-points and 10 barriers. In details, the ecological sources were mainly distributed in the southwest and northwest of Yunnan Province, with the ecological corridors locating along the high mountains, and both ecological sources and corridors were mostly covered with forest land. Pinch-points covered by forest land and cultivated land, were distributed in the middle of Yunnan Province along the rivers. Approximately 75.9% nature reserves were located in the identified ecological sources, and the remainings were mainly distributed in eastern Yunnan Province with small area, showing the effectiveness in identifying ecological security patterns. Among 81 projects of low-slope hill development carried out in Yunnan Province, 46.9% showed potential human stress on regional ecological security. Based on ecosystem services and circuit theory, this study provides a new approach to identifying the spatial range of ecological corridors and the specific location of key nodes for effective ecological conservation and restoration.

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“…There is a need to identify where water could be applied, and how it should best be applied in areas with different climates and soils. There are increasing efforts to model the optimal configuration of reserves and management actions in shorebirds based on an understanding of the network of habitats used (Augustin et al, 1999;Iwamura et al, 2013;Nicol et al, 2015;Albanese & Haukos, 2017). These efforts provide several options with which to explore what an optimal network of managed shorebird reserves might look like given the constraints of water availability across the continent.…”

Section: Future Research Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An assessment of all these possibilities should be undertaken nationally, and each area should only be considered if it is free or can be made free of tall vegetation. Once potential sites are identified some kind of network analysis should be conducted to determine the optimal placement and timing of creation of artificial wetlands (Augustin et al, 1999;Iwamura et al, 2013;Nicol et al, 2015;Albanese & Haukos, 2017 Paying attention to which plants are grown in the off season and then flooded as well as allowing for deeper areas within each pond would support a larger sweet of waterfowl. These general recommendations come out of (Colwell, 2010), and fortunately there is extensive literature on wetsoil management and water level management to benefit shorebirds (Helmers, 1992;Anderson & Smith, 2000;Taft et al, 2002;Harrington, 2003;Ma et al, 2010;Dias et al, 2014), so such activities could readily be adaptively trialed.…”

Section: Management Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecology and conservation of Australia’s shorebirds

Clemens¹

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Global biodiversity continues to decline rapidly, and addressing this situation requires an understanding of both the problems and the solutions. This understanding is urgently required for animals occupying wetlands, among the most threatened of all habitats globally. In this thesis I focus on the ecology and conservation of shorebirds, a group comprising many threatened and declining species dependent on wetlands throughout much of their annual cycle. I focus on threats operating within Australia, where wetland loss and degradation continues due to human activity. Non-migratory shorebird species that travel widely across Australia's inland wetlands have been reported as declining in eastern Australia, but a national assessment is lacking. Migratory shorebird species that visit Australia from breeding grounds overseas appear to be declining most due to factors beyond Australia's borders, but it is not clear if threats located in Australia are exacerbating these declines. I make the most of the rich data available on shorebirds in Australia to address these knowledge gaps, in the hopes of better targeting shorebird conservation actions in Australia.In chapter one I introduce the importance of conserving migratory and highly mobile species.I then review how pulses in resource availability such as those exemplified by Australia's ephemeral wetlands impact wildlife populations. I also provide an overview of shorebird conservation in Australia. These introductions provide the theoretical underpinning for the work presented later, and highlight the challenges inherent in understanding where and when highly mobile species such as shorebirds have been impacted.In chapter two I show the benefits of applying a consistent approach to setting boundaries around areas used by migratory shorebirds during the non-breeding season. One of the first steps in identifying where conservation actions are needed for highly mobile species is defining the boundaries of management units where actions can be targeted, and which define the optimal scale for monitoring. I achieved this step by using expert knowledge to define the extent of area being used by the same local population of non-breeding shorebirds. These improved boundaries were at times very different to boundaries identified originally.In chapter three I analyse available Australian shorebird count data from many areas to determine if spatial variation in shorebird trends relates to local threats. I confirm Australia wide declines in a number of shorebird species, and add a few more to the list of shorebird species showing continental scale declines. I further show that declines are often greater in the south, but find substantial interspecific variation in trends with both latitude and 3 longitude. This suggests large scale patterns in the declines are not explained by local factors.For resident shorebirds I find rates of decline greater at non-tidal wetlands threatened by inappropriate water levels, while local threats do not appear to explain rates of decline in mi...

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A network model framework for prioritizing wetland conservation in the Great Plains

Cited by 29 publications

References 70 publications

Effects of large-scale wetland loss on network connectivity of the Rainwater Basin, Nebraska

Effects of large-scale wetland loss on network connectivity of the Rainwater Basin, Nebraska

Linking ecosystem services and circuit theory to identify ecological security patterns

Ecology and conservation of Australia’s shorebirds

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