Abstract
Oak trees are emblematic of California landscapes, they serve as keystone cultural and ecological species and as indicators of natural biological diversity. As historically undeveloped landscapes are increasingly converted to urban environments, endemic oak woodland extent is reduced, which underscores the importance of strategic placement and reintroduction of oaks and woodland landscape for the maintenance of biodiversity and reduction of habitat fragmentation. This paper investigated the effects of human urban development on oak species in California by first modeling historical patterns of richness for eight oak tree species using historical map and plot data from the California Vegetation Type Mapping (VTM) collection. We then examined spatial intersections between hot spots of historical oak richness and modern urban and conservation lands and found that impacts from development and conservation vary by both species and richness. Our findings suggest that the impact of urban development on oaks has been small within the areas of highest oak richness but that areas of highest oak richness are also poorly conserved. Third, we argue that current policy measures are inadequate to conserve oak woodlands and suggest regions to prioritize acquisition of conservation lands as well as examine urban regions where historic centers of oak richness were lost as potential frontiers for oak reintroduction. We argue that urban planning could benefit from the adoption of historical data and modern species distribution modelling techniques primarily used in natural resources and conservation fields to better locate hot spots of species richness, understand where habitats and species have been lost historically and use this evidence as incentive to recover what was lost and preserve what still exists. This adoption of historical data and modern techniques would then serve as a paradigm shift in the way Urban Planners recognize, quantify, and use landscape history in modern built environments.
Highlights
Urban areas serve as important landscapes for a wide range of species
We argue that urban planning can benefit from a deeper understanding of past distributions of important landscape features, such as vegetation communities and key taxa; the use of historical data and species distribution modeling can aid in protection, guide in planning and management, and lend insight to future distributions given recent climate variability and landscape change
Impacts from urban development have been relatively small (∼5.5% of the land) within the areas of high oak richness (Table 3), 17% of the historical distributions of individual oak species are found in current urban areas
Summary
Urban areas serve as important landscapes for a wide range of species. the rapid spread of urban development has heightened concern globally over potential losses in biodiversity and ecosystem services generated through landscape conversion. The blending of principles from landscape ecology, urban planning data, and geospatial modelling tools represent a paradigm shift in the way we recognize, quantify, and use landscape history in planning our modern built environments. The use of species distribution modeling (SDM), called environmental niche modeling (ENM), is common in the conservation and ecological restoration communities, but these tools have been underutilized in the urban planning arena. These models generate regional scale descriptions of past vegetation communities or taxa distributions, and may offer critical information in sustainable planning processes that want to reintroduce natural vegetation to already urbanized areas, or want avoid substantially altering the environment
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
