Abstract
Thorne, J. H., P. R. Huber, E. H. Girvetz, J. Quinn, and M. C. McCoy. 2009. Integration of regional mitigation assessment and conservation planning. Ecology and Society 14(1): 47. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-02949-140147
Highlights
Government agencies that develop infrastructure such as roads, canals, and power lines are frequently required to mitigate the ecological impacts of their projects
We used the reserve-selection algorithm MARXAN to identify a regional greenprint for each site and to seek mitigation solutions through parcel acquisition that would contribute to the greenprint, as well as meet agency obligations
From multiple projects in a region can potentially allow more biologically effective site selection of lands for compensatory mitigation; and (3) that selection of mitigation lands from a subset of the region that has been identified as a regional conservation greenprint permits selection of more ecologically effective mitigation lands and permits mitigation solutions to contribute to a broader conservation effort
Summary
Government agencies that develop infrastructure such as roads, canals, and power lines are frequently required to mitigate the ecological impacts of their projects. Some state transportation agencies are addressing this call, as evidenced by projects in Washington on Interstate Highway I-90 (http://ww w.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I90/SnoqualmiePassEast/ HyaktoKeechelusDam/ ) and Florida’s “Efficient Transportation Decision Making” initiative based on conservation assessments for Florida (http://etd mpub.fla-etat.org/est/; Hoctor et al 2000, Florida Department of Transportation 2001), among others (Brown 2006) These plans frequently address the fragmentation impacts of road networks on populations of species of concern by analyzing the need for habitat connectivity, identifying habitat locations critical for maintaining or restoring such connectivity, and improving road-crossing structures. Projected land-acquisition needs to offset habitat impacts from multiple road projects were used in a second MARXAN analysis to identify parcels that could fulfill those obligations and contribute to the regional greenprint (Fig. 1) We conducted this analysis for two regions in California with different levels of information available and differing local capacity for management of conservation lands. The steps outlined in the Methods were applied to both regions, as data availability allowed
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