Prioritization Of Conservation Research Articles

Morphometric and Change Detection Analysis for Prioritization of Sub Basin Conservation, Case Study of Taita Hills

The study is aimed at analyzing the risk of Taita Hills region of harmful runoff and soil erosion by employing morphometric analysis and change detection in a GIS environment to prioritize the Taita Hills in Taita Taveta County. The objective of the study was to characterize and give hierarchy in which the region should be conserved. The methodology adopted hydrological modeling, morphometric computation, Weighted Sum Analysis (WSA) and change detection. Hydrological modeling was vital in delineating the sub-watersheds and stream network. Morphometric computation and WSA was applicable in coming up with parameters and weighting the parameters for each sub-watershed’s prioritization. Change detection is related to how human activity is important for conservation as the effect of land forms and dimensions are compounded. Twenty-one fourth order streamed sub-watersheds were generated and prioritized using morphometry and change detection. Every sub-watershed is given a hierarchy based on the calculated compound parameter from the WSA equation developed and shows the risk of runoff and soil erosion. The morphometric prioritization shows 47% of the watersheds are in the high and very highly susceptible areas and there are two sub-watersheds with the highest land cover change. As well six sub-watersheds are risky with both land cover change and morphometry.

Combining eight research areas to foster the uptake of ecosystem‐based management in fresh waters

Abstract Freshwater ecosystems are under a constant risk of being irreversibly damaged by human pressures that threaten their biodiversity, the sustainability of ecosystem services (ESs), and human well‐being. Despite the implementation of various environmental regulations, the challenges of safeguarding freshwater assets have so far not been tackled successfully. A promising way forward to stop the loss of freshwater biodiversity and to sustain freshwater‐based ESs is by implementing ecosystem‐based management (EBM), an environmental planning and adaptive management approach that jointly considers social and ecological needs. Responsible for considerable recent success in sustainably managing and conserving marine ecosystems, EBM has not yet been championed for fresh waters. A major reason for the delayed uptake of EBM in fresh waters is likely to be its complexity, requiring planners to be familiar with the latest developments in a range of different research areas. EBM would therefore benefit from becoming more tangible to receive attention on the ground. To facilitate uptake, eight core research areas for EBM and their innovations are introduced, and the way in which they feed into the workflow that guides the EBM planning stage is explained. The workflow links biodiversity distributions with ES supply‐and‐demand modelling and SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely) target planning, including scenario‐ and cross‐realm perspectives, the prioritization of management alternatives, spatial prioritization of biodiversity conservation and ES areas, and the quantification of uncertainties. Given the extensive resources, time, and technical capacity required to implement the full workflow, a light and an ultralight version of the workflow are also provided. Applied in concert, the eight well‐known research areas allow for better planning and operationalizing, and eventually for implementing EBM in freshwater ecosystems. EBM has great potential to increase public acceptance by introducing the consideration of human needs and aspirations into typically biodiversity‐driven conservation and management approaches. This will ultimately improve the integrity of freshwater ecosystems.

Climate and land-use changes reshuffle politically-weighted priority areas of mountain biodiversity

Protected areas (PAs) play a critical role in conserving biodiversity and maintaining viable populations of threatened species. Yet, as global change could reduce the future effectiveness of existing PAs in covering high species richness, updating the boundaries of existing PAs or creating new ones might become necessary to uphold conservation goals. Modelling tools are increasingly used by policymakers to support the spatial prioritization of biodiversity conservation, enabling the inclusion of scenarios of environmental changes to achieve specific targets. Here, using the Western Swiss Alps as a case study, we show how integrating species richness derived from species distribution model predictions for four taxonomic groups under present and future climate and land-use conditions into two conservation prioritization schemes can help optimize extant and future PAs. The first scheme, the “Priority Scores Method” identified priority areas for the expansion of the existing PA network. The second scheme, using the zonation software, allowed identifying priority conservation areas while incorporating global change scenarios and political costs. We found that existing mountain PAs are currently not situated in the most environmentally nor politically suitable locations when maximizing alpha diversity for the studied taxonomic groups and that current PAs could become even less optimum under the future climate and land-use change scenarios. This analysis has focused on general areas of high species richness or species of conservation concern and did not account for special habitats or functional groups that could have been used to create the existing network. We conclude that such an integrated framework could support more effective conservation planning and could be similarly applied to other landscapes or other biodiversity conservation indices.

Resolving the Taxonomic Identity of Prunus maritima VAR. Gravesii (Rosaceae) Through Genotyping Analyses Using Microsatellite Loci

Abstract Graves' Beach Plum (Prunus maritima var. gravesii) has been notable for its unique morphological form since a single individual was first discovered on Esker Point in Groton, Connecticut and formally described in 1897. This original clone is now extinct in the wild and is presently kept in cultivation on the University of Connecticut campus, with no additional wild plants discovered in 120 years. It was distinguished morphologically based primarily on its distinctive orbicular leaves, which differ from the ovate leaves found in P. maritima var. maritima. Prior studies have shown few morphological differences between P. maritima var. gravesii and P. maritima var. maritima and full reproductive compatibility has been experimentally observed between the two taxa. However, the few unique characteristics of P. maritima var. gravesii merit further investigation to determine if it has unique molecular differences relative to var. maritima that might lead to the prioritization of conservation and possibl...

Survival and habitat selection of wood duck ducklings

ABSTRACTSurvival and habitat selection during brood‐rearing influences reproductive success and waterfowl population dynamics. For effective management, it is important to understand vital rates and habitat choice range wide. We investigated survival and habitat selection of female wood ducks (Aix sponsa) and ducklings at Long Point, Lake Erie, Ontario, Canada in 2014. We captured incubating females (n = 40) in nest boxes and used radio‐telemetry to monitor survival and habitat use to 30 days post‐hatch. Four female mortalities occurred during brood‐rearing and apparent brood and duckling survival were 0.42 (85% CI = 0.33, 0.51) and 0.16 (85% CI = 0.14, 0.18), respectively. Duckling survival was negatively associated with brood size and distance of first movement, whereas survival was positively associated with precipitation. Successful brood‐rearing wood ducks selected forested wetlands and habitats that provided dense vegetative cover. Conservation and restoration of forested wetlands and similar cover should increase the availability of brood‐rearing habitat. Placement of nest boxes close to selected land cover types and strategies associated with reducing inflated clutch sizes may improve offspring survival. Our spatially explicit habitat selection model informs spatial prioritization of habitat conservation and nest box placement strategies within the Great Lakes region. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.

Integrating ecosystem services in terrestrial conservation planning.

The purpose of this study is to estimate the benefits of ecosystem services for prioritization of land use conservation and to highlight the importance of ecosystem services by comparison between ecosystem service value and green GDP accounting. Based on land use pattern and benefit transfer method, this research estimated value of ecosystem services in Taiwan. Scientific information of land use and land cover change is accessed through multi-year satellite imagery moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS), and geographic information system (GIS) technology. Combined with benefit transfer method, this research estimated the ecosystem service valuation of forest, grassland, cropland, wetland, water, and urban for the period of 2000 to 2015 in Taiwan. It is found that forest made the greatest contribution and the significant increasing area of wetland has huge potential benefit for environmental conservation in Taiwan. We recommend placing maintaining wetland ecosystem in Taiwan with higher priority. This research also compared ecosystem service value with natural capital consumption which would essentially facilitate policy makers to understand the relationship between benefits gained from natural capital and the loss from human-made capital.

What Causes People to Change Their Opinion about Climate Change?

After a decade of steady growth in the acceptance of the existence of climate change and its anthropogenic causes, opinions have polarized, with almost one third of Americans, mostly Republicans, denying that the climate is changing or that human activity is responsible. What causes Americans to change their minds on this issue? Using a large panel data set, we examined the impacts of direct experience with weather anomalies, ideology, relative prioritization of environmental conservation in comparison to economic development, and motivated reasoning that adjusts individual opinion to align with others who share one's party identification. A generalized ordered logit model confirmed the importance of political ideology, party identification, and relative concern about environmental conservation and economic development on attitude change. The effect of party identification strengthened with attentiveness to news and public affairs, consistent with the logic of motivated reasoning. Recent experience with hot summers, warm winters, droughts, and natural disasters had only a minimal impact on attitude change.

Valuation of fish production services in river basins: A case study of the Columbia River

This study uses a bio-economic model to assess the capacity of the Columbia River to provide a selection of four ecosystem services and estimates the actual use of those services in terms of net economic welfare. Our findings reinforce the observation that Columbia River habitat supports production of valuable fish species that provide: (i) food production from commercial fishing, (ii) recreational fishing, (iii) tribal subsistence fishing, and (iv) nutrient cycling services. Relative to the status quo, a 10% greater prioritization of salmon conservation via shifts in the flow regime would generate an increase of $4.8million/yr in the net economic benefit from these services. A return to pristine flow conditions would raise this value to $19.5million/yr. Re-prioritizing hydropower production to average 1976–1980 flow levels would result in a $3.5million/yr loss of net economic benefits. Recreational fishing is the most important ecosystem service we assessed. Under some scenarios, this sector generates twice the value of the next largest sector (commercial fishing). Although managers have placed greater emphasis on fish conservation in recent decades, opportunities for gains in economic welfare from fish production in the Columbia River may not be fully exploited, particularly considering that our conservation scenario only minimally alters the flow regime relative to the hydropower priority scenario.

Review: A working checklist of the freshwater fish diversity for habitat management and conservation work in Sabah, Malaysia, North Borneo

Ng CKC, Abdullah F, Biun H, Ibrahim MK, Mustapha S, Sade A. 2017. Review: A working checklist of the freshwater fish diversity for habitat management and conservation work in Sabah, Malaysia, North Borneo. Biodiversitas 18: 560-574. Prioritization of freshwater habitat management and conservation is dependent on the availability of species baseline information at regional level. However, such information has not been updated since 2002 in Sabah. Thus the objective of this paper is to present the latest working checklist of freshwater ichthyofauna known so far in the state. A literature review of 68 studies was conducted focusing on the latest valid binomial nomenclature, locality and conservation status. A total of 166 valid species, namely 150 native species and 16 introduced species, were deduced from the literature. Native species comprised of 10 orders, 27 families and 75 genera while introduced species were from four orders, seven families and 14 genera. The review revealed 103 species (68.6% of native species) were yet to be assessed for the IUCN Red List and 11 species (7.3%) were identified as Data Deficient by IUCN. Some taxonomic discrepancies were also found and discussed. Many areas in Sabah remain poorly inventoried due to unequal sampling effort, biophysical and cultural challenges. The species list proposed herein is tentative at best and the number of species is expected to increase as more surveys are conducted in the near future.

Feedback between sediment and light for seagrass: Where is it important?

A feedback between seagrass presence, suspended sediment and benthic light can induce bistability between two ecosystem states: one where the presence of seagrass reduces suspended sediment concentrations to increase benthic light availability thereby favoring growth, and another where seagrass absence increases turbidity thereby reducing growth. This literature review identifies (1) how the environmental and seagrass meadow characteristics influence the strength and direction (stabilizing or destabilizing) of the seagrass-sediment-light feedback, and (2) how this feedback has been incorporated in ecosystem models proposed to support environmental decision making. Large, dense seagrass meadows in shallow subtidal, non-eutrophic systems, growing in sediments of mixed grain size and subject to higher velocity flows, have the greatest potential to generate bistability via the seagrass-sediment-light feedback. Conversely, seagrass meadows of low density, area and height can enhance turbulent flows that interact with the seabed, causing water clarity to decline. Using a published field experiment as a case study, we show that the seagrass-sediment-light feedback can induce bistability only if the suspended sediment has sufficient light attenuation properties. The seagrass-sediment-light feedback has been considered in very few ecosystem models. These models have the potential to identify areas where bistability occurs, which is information that can assist in spatial prioritization of conservation and restoration efforts. In areas where seagrass is present and bistability is predicted, recovery may be difficult once this seagrass is lost. Conversely, bare areas where seagrass presence is predicted (without bistability) may be better targets for seagrass restoration than bare areas where bistability is predicted.

Hydraulic properties of Eucalyptus grandis in response to nitrate and phosphate deficiency and sudden changes in their availability

AbstractSome herbaceous plant species have been shown to dynamically alter the hydraulic properties of their roots in response to sudden changes in the concentrations of mobile nutrients. These hydraulic adaptations effectively allow plants to ‘chase' mobile nutrients across the rhizosphere. Trees, on the other hand, could mitigate effects of heterogeneous, dynamic soil environments with extensive root systems as such systems would effectively equalize nutrient availability. In addition, large dendritic root systems would reduce the effectiveness of rapid, localized, physiological hydraulic changes as these local changes might cancel each other at lower‐order root junctions. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine if trees (Eucalyptus grandis) employ short‐term (minutes to hours), physiological hydraulic changes or rely on long‐term (days), growth‐based hydraulic acclimations to enhance mobile nutrient uptake. We used two nutrients, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), that are characterized by contrasting soil mobility: N being mobile and P immobile. Transpiration, whole‐plant hydraulic resistance (liquid phase), and the hydraulic resistance of single roots of E. grandis plants grown in high and low N combined with high and low P availability were measured. In general, plants grown with high N availability had lower whole‐plant hydraulic resistance than plants grown with low N availability. When N or P were in short supply, a sudden addition of N or P did not change either single‐root or whole‐plant hydraulic resistance at a given leaf water potential. However, addition of N reduced the transpiration rate, thus, enhancing plant water status, suggesting that E. grandis behavior prioritizes water conservation over N uptake in short‐term. Prolonged exposure to low nutrient availability resulted in high overall hydraulic resistance further suggesting prioritization of water conservation over N gain.

Prioritizing conservation for the reduction of Gulf hypoxia using an environmental performance index

The annual growth of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico is largely attributed to agricultural nutrient loadings that originate from the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB). To effectively target conservation efforts throughout the entire MARB in order to reduce Gulf hypoxia, strategies to rank areas according to their impact on both agricultural production and ecosystem services are extremely important. In this paper, we utilize an Environmental Performance Index (EPI) to rank regions within the MARB according to their environmental performance, that is, their ability to produce agricultural outputs while minimizing nutrient loadings to the Gulf of Mexico. We compare our index rankings to previously used rankings of delivered yields alone and find the spatial distribution of rankings changes considerably when accounting for agricultural productivity. For example, the Corn Belt regions of central Iowa and northern Illinois no longer make up the lowest performing regions of the MARB after accounting for their high levels of agricultural production. Instead, regions along the Missouri river including central Missouri, western Iowa, and southeastern South Dakota as well as areas near the Ohio river including southern Illinois, western Kentucky, and southern Ohio now count among the lowest performing regions using the EPI ranking scheme. We suggest that incorporation of economic production value into large-scale prioritization of agricultural conservation within the MARB is essential to effectively reduce Gulf hypoxia while maintaining food security from efficient farm production.

WATER CONSERVATION ASPECTS OF GREEN BUILDINGS

The Earth’s surface is filled with water by 71.7%, but only 3% of this water can be used as potable water. In the present days, with the rapid increase in population water conservation has become a major issue. Green buildings are being created around the world to minimize the use of resources, reduce various harmful effects to the ecology and create a clean environment. With the increasing demand for water it has become a necessity to implement water conservation in the design of green buildings. This paper overviews the prioritization of water conservation as one of the important aspects of green buildings to save water. Various water efficient technologies such as water cooling towers and rain water harvesting are being implemented around the world. Countries such as Taiwan and Jordan have taken major steps towards implementing water efficient technologies into their green building designs. They have introduced water conservation index to evaluate the consumption of water and the water saving efficiency of the green buildings. Different rating systems have been introduced to establish the degree of accomplishment of environmental goals of the green buildings. Hence, it has been concluded that by using these water efficient techniques, the precious water can be saved in an economic way so that our future generations don’t face the curse of water scarcity.

A new approach to modeling the sediment retention service (InVEST 3.0): Case study of the Cape Fear catchment, North Carolina, USA

There is a growing call for ecosystem services models that are both simple and scientifically credible, in order to serve public and private sector decision-making processes. Sediment retention receives particular interest given the impact of this service on water quality. We developed a new version of the sediment retention model for the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Environmental Services and Tradeoffs) tool to address previous limitations and facilitate model uncertainty assessment. We tested the model in the Cape Fear basin, North Carolina (NC), performing sensitivity analyses and assessing its ability to detect the spatial variability in sediment retention service for eight subcatchments. The main advantages of the revised model include the use of spatially-explicit, globally available input data, and the explicit consideration of hydrological connectivity in the landscape. The sensitivity analyses in the study catchment identified the erosivity and erodibility factors, together with the cover factor for agricultural land as the most influential parameter for sediment export. Relative predictions, representing the spatial variability in sediment exports, were correctly represented by the model. Absolute sediment exports were also highly correlated with observations, although their interpretation for socio-economic assessments is more uncertain without local knowledge of the dominant erosion processes. This work confirms that the sediment connectivity approach used in the revised InVEST model has great potential to quantify the sediment retention service. Although resources to conduct model calibration and testing are typically scarce, these practices should be encouraged to improve model interpretation and for confident application in different decision-making contexts. Without calibration, the InVEST sediment model still provides relevant information for ecosystem services assessments, especially in decision contexts that involve ranking of sediment export areas, such as spatial prioritization of conservation, development or restoration activities, taking into account non-linear sediment responses to changes in land use.

Annual Variation of Spawning Cutthroat Trout in a Small Western USA Stream: A Case Study with Implications for the Conservation of Potamodromous Trout Life History Diversity

AbstractLittle is known about the variability in the spatial and temporal distribution of spawning potamodromous trout despite decades of research directed at salmonid spawning ecology and the increased awareness that conserving life history diversity should be a focus of management. We monitored a population of fluvial–resident Bonneville Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii utah in a tributary to the Logan River, Utah, from 2006 to 2012 to gain insight into the distribution and timing of spawning and what factors may influence these spawning activities. We monitored Bonneville Cutthroat Trout using redd surveys with multiple observers and georeferenced redd locations. We documented an extended spawning period that lasted from late April to mid‐July. The onset, median, and end of spawning was best predicted by the mean maximum water temperature during the first 13 weeks of the year (F = 130. 4, df = 5, R2 = 0.96, P < 0.0001) with spawning beginning and ending earlier in years that had warmer water temperatures prior to spawning. The distribution of redds was clumped each year and the relative density of redds was greater in a reach dominated by dams constructed by beavers Castor canadensis. Both dam failure and construction appeared to be responsible for creating new spawning habitat that was quickly occupied, demonstrating rapid temporal response to local habitat changes. Bonneville Cutthroat Trout appeared to establish and defend a redd for up to 2 d, and spawning most often occurred between similar‐sized individuals. Spawning surveys for potamodromous trout are an underutilized tool that could be used to better understand the distribution and timing of spawning as well as determine the size and trends of the reproducing portion of populations of management concern. Without efforts to document the diversity of this important aspect of potamodromous trout life history, prioritization of conservation will be problematic.

A new watershed assessment framework for Nova Scotia: A high-level, integrated approach for regions without a dense network of monitoring stations

Summary High-level, integrated watershed assessments are a basic requirement for freshwater planning, as they create regional summaries of multiple environmental stressors for the prioritization of watershed conservation, restoration, monitoring, and mitigation. There is a heightened need for a high-level, integrated watershed assessment in Nova Scotia as it faces pressing watershed issues relating to acidification, soil erosion, acid rock drainage, eutrophication, and water withdrawals related to potential shale gas development. But because of the relative sparseness of the on-the-ground effects-based data, for example on water quality or fish assemblages, previously created approaches for integrated watershed assessment cannot be used. In a government/university collaboration, we developed a new approach that relies solely on easier-to-collect and more available exposure-based variables to perform the first high-level watershed assessment in Nova Scotia. In this assessment, a total of 295 watershed units were studied. We used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map and analyze 13 stressor variables that represent risks to aquatic environment (e.g., road/stream crossing density, acid rock drainage risk, surface water withdrawals, human land use, and dam density). We developed a model to link stressors with impacts to aquatic systems to serve as a basis for a watershed threat ranking system. Resource management activities performed by government and other stakeholders were also included in this analysis. Our assessment identifies the most threatened watersheds, enables informed comparisons among watersheds, and indicates where to focus resource management and monitoring efforts. Stakeholder communication tools produced by the NSWAP include a watershed atlas to communicate the assessment results to a broader audience, including policy makers and public stakeholders. This new framework for high-level watershed assessments provides a resource for other regions that also have limited availability of effects-based data, an important consideration as expanding human activities impact water resources in less densely monitored regions.

Assessing the status of a disjunct population of the endangered crayfish Euastacus bispinosus in a karst rising‐spring habitat in southern Australia

Abstract Many species of freshwater crayfish of the endemic Australian genus Euastacus are threatened with extinction. Routine monitoring of most Euastacus species is minimal, and a subsequent lack of information has hampered prioritization of conservation and management efforts. The present study investigated population parameters and temporal changes in abundance in a disjunct population of Euastacus bispinosus. This occurs at the western extent of the range of the species in the state of South Australia (SA) and inhabits a groundwater‐dependent karst habitat distinct from the larger population in the Victorian Glenelg basin. Euastacus bispinosus was recorded at sites within seven karst rising‐springs as well as two isolated locations (sinkhole and cave), which expanded the extent of occurrence of the species in SA, but the area of occupancy remains limited. Most subpopulations contained low numbers, had little or no signs of recruitment, were dominated by large crayfish, and demonstrated a high incidence of gonopore aberrations. Declines in abundance were observed across these subpopulations between 2006 and 2011, although these declines were not statistically significant. Of critical importance to the conservation of the species in SA is ensuring that groundwater discharge is maintained in karst rising‐springs, hydrological connectivity is enhanced between subpopulations and degradation within habitats is reversed. Further monitoring and research is necessary to gain a clear understanding of the status of subpopulations of the species over time. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Morphometric characterisation of gagar watershed in Kumaon region of Uttarakhand for management planning: A GIS approach

Soil and water are of crucial importance for mankind. Water scarcity is a burning problem for the hill agrarians. Viable sources of water like springs, which are plenty in hills, are drying up because of inadequate recharge of flow domain of springs and there is great disturbance in hydrologic cycle of hilly areas. Planning and management of available natural resources are essential for sustainable development in agriculture. Keeping this in view the present study was conducted to study the morphological characteristics. Morphometric characterization was accomplished through obtainment of linear, areal and relief aspects of the basin using GIS software Geomatica-9.1. It was observed that there was a decrease in stream frequency with increase in stream order. The drainage network showed that the terrain demonstrates dendratic pattern with coarse texture type. Lower value of drainage density of the study area indicated coarse drainage pattern and humid climate of the study area. The morphometric analysis of the watershed showed that, stream frequency and total length of stream segments decreased with increase in stream order. The higher value of bifurcation ratio indicated strong structural control on the drainage pattern. This study will be useful in the prioritization of soil and water conservation works for the efficient watershed management planning.

Assessing Ecological Condition, Vulnerability, and Restorability of a Conservation Network Under Alternative Urban Growth Policies

Landscape connectivity is vital to the ecological health of many landscapes, and identification of linkages in working landscapes that are somewhat, but not irreversibly, degraded is needed. Assessment of the current ecological condition of habitat linkages can be used to determine appropriate management activities, including restoration. Forecasting the future ecological condition of identified linkages under multiple human-use scenarios can identify future patterns of vulnerability and degradation, and thus aid in prioritization of conservation and restoration actions. We forecast the ecological condition of a modeled conservation network of cores and habitat linkages in the San Joaquin Valley, California, a highly developed agricultural area. We assessed current and projected future impacts from modeled urban growth representing seven regional urban growth policy scenarios to determine conservation and restoration priorities. We characterized current ecological condition of the linkages using a clustering algorithm that compared vegetation type, length, and major road and canal crossings. The modeled urban growth forecasts were overlaid on the ecological network to identify expected impacts. A threat index was calculated for individual network components and for component clusters, and revealed significant impact differences between the various urban growth scenarios. The linkages most threatened by urban conversion were those that are currently the most ecologically degraded, suggesting that a significant future conservation issue in this working landscape will be the loss of restoration opportunities rather than loss of intact wildlife linkages. This study presents an approach for incorporating regional conservation design with urban growth policy analysis for working landscapes.

Vegetation structure and the habitat specificity of a declining North American reptile: A remnant of former landscapes

Although all species provide some spatial information about past environments, remnant populations of habitat specialists can serve as biological legacies and natural archives of historical landscapes. The endangered longleaf pine ecosystem is home to an array of imperiled fauna that specialize on the habitat. Often referred to as pine savanna, the ecosystem was characterized by longleaf pine ( Pinus palustris), but included an array of open-canopy habitats within a grassland matrix dominated by a variety of tree species. In this study, we used a coarse scale of description to quantify habitat associations of a declining reptile, the eastern diamondback rattlesnake ( Crotalus adamanteus), historically associated with pine savannas of the southeastern United States. We made cross-scale habitat comparisons and controlled for land use and geographic variability. Habitat models of within home range and microhabitat selection indicated that the species was associated with an open-canopy savanna community structure. We identified the eastern diamondback rattlesnake as a remnant of the historical southeastern savanna, which is important for species conservation and broader management of the southeastern savanna community. Given their longevity and habitat specificity, remnant eastern diamondback rattlesnake populations are biological legacies of the southeastern savanna community and act as a surrogate for the prioritization of land conservation. Thus, the species’ presence provides spatial information that can be used by conservationists to identify habitats that have high restoration potential, and also increases the probability that other species associated with pine savanna occur locally.