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• 11. [Article] Green Mind Gray Yard: Micro Scale Assessment of Ecosystem Services

  There is a spatial mismatch between the size of the area where people are living and the extent of land needed to ecologically support developed areas. More people are living in urban areas than any time ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Green Mind Gray Yard: Micro Scale Assessment of Ecosystem Services Author: Kirkpatrick, Erin Jolene Year: 2013 There is a spatial mismatch between the size of the area where people are living and the extent of land needed to ecologically support developed areas. More people are living in urban areas than any time in history, and the resources need to support cities have had to expand to try and meet the demands of increasing urban populations. However, areas of opportunity exist for urban areas to begin to positively contribute towards the available resources in a region. Because a large portion of urban areas is within private control, gaining a baseline understanding of how residents interact with ecosystem services served as basis of this study. Using a survey of residents in the Portland, OR area, correlations between demographic groups and questions regarding their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors as they relate to vegetation proved that the knowledge of environmental relationships is an important first step in creating pro-environmental behavior. Those reporting a high level of knowledge for ecological system and processes were more likely to value the benefits of vegetation for other associated reasons, such as for recreational activities, aesthetic purposes, and air or water quality. Additionally, survey responses were mapped to spatial data to gain an understanding of the spatial characteristics of neighborhoods in the survey area and how they have changed over time. Overall, the results in the study display trends that can help outreach organizations and municipalities to determine plans to strategically engage the public in a way that could create a net gain in urban ecosystem services. Title: Green Mind Gray Yard: Micro Scale Assessment of Ecosystem Services Author: Kirkpatrick, Erin Jolene Year: 2013 There is a spatial mismatch between the size of the area where people are living and the extent of land needed to ecologically support developed areas. More people are living in urban areas than any time in history, and the resources need to support cities have had to expand to try and meet the demands of increasing urban populations. However, areas of opportunity exist for urban areas to begin to positively contribute towards the available resources in a region. Because a large portion of urban areas is within private control, gaining a baseline understanding of how residents interact with ecosystem services served as basis of this study. Using a survey of residents in the Portland, OR area, correlations between demographic groups and questions regarding their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors as they relate to vegetation proved that the knowledge of environmental relationships is an important first step in creating pro-environmental behavior. Those reporting a high level of knowledge for ecological system and processes were more likely to value the benefits of vegetation for other associated reasons, such as for recreational activities, aesthetic purposes, and air or water quality. Additionally, survey responses were mapped to spatial data to gain an understanding of the spatial characteristics of neighborhoods in the survey area and how they have changed over time. Overall, the results in the study display trends that can help outreach organizations and municipalities to determine plans to strategically engage the public in a way that could create a net gain in urban ecosystem services. Close

• 12. [Article] Tree Cover Mapping for Assessing Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat in Eastern Oregon

  We used a predictive model to map canopy cover of vegetation over seven feet in height ("tall woody vegetation") at 30-meter resolution over nearly 29 million acres within and adjacent to the range of ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Tree Cover Mapping for Assessing Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat in Eastern Oregon Author: Nielsen, Eric M., Noone, Matthew D. Year: 2014 We used a predictive model to map canopy cover of vegetation over seven feet in height ("tall woody vegetation") at 30-meter resolution over nearly 29 million acres within and adjacent to the range of the greater sage-grouse in Oregon (Figure 1). Texture measures computed at various resolutions from color-infrared aerial photography provided the main source of predictor data used to produce the map. Canopy cover was treated as a categorical variable using six cover classes: absent (cover class C0), present at less than 4% (C1), 4 – 10% (C2), 10 – 20% (C3), 20 – 50% (C4), and 50% and over (C5). The map is referenced to conditions in the years 2011 and 2012. Although the specific target of the mapping was western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis), our reference data did not permit separating juniper from other tall woody vegetation during the predictive modeling process. The majority of the tall woody vegetation within the project area is western juniper. However, in high elevation regions, riparian, wetland, and residential areas, other vegetation is occasionally represented. The methodology discussed here produces raw modeled data. It is recommended that prior to use in most applications this raw tree cover product be additionally filtered or masked to eliminate false detections which often occur adjacent to agricultural areas and roads. For species-specific applications, an additional modeling phase is necessary to either eliminate tree cover detections likely to be species other than the target, or to model species importance values associated with each tree occurrence. Title: Tree Cover Mapping for Assessing Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat in Eastern Oregon Author: Nielsen, Eric M., Noone, Matthew D. Year: 2014 We used a predictive model to map canopy cover of vegetation over seven feet in height ("tall woody vegetation") at 30-meter resolution over nearly 29 million acres within and adjacent to the range of the greater sage-grouse in Oregon (Figure 1). Texture measures computed at various resolutions from color-infrared aerial photography provided the main source of predictor data used to produce the map. Canopy cover was treated as a categorical variable using six cover classes: absent (cover class C0), present at less than 4% (C1), 4 – 10% (C2), 10 – 20% (C3), 20 – 50% (C4), and 50% and over (C5). The map is referenced to conditions in the years 2011 and 2012. Although the specific target of the mapping was western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis), our reference data did not permit separating juniper from other tall woody vegetation during the predictive modeling process. The majority of the tall woody vegetation within the project area is western juniper. However, in high elevation regions, riparian, wetland, and residential areas, other vegetation is occasionally represented. The methodology discussed here produces raw modeled data. It is recommended that prior to use in most applications this raw tree cover product be additionally filtered or masked to eliminate false detections which often occur adjacent to agricultural areas and roads. For species-specific applications, an additional modeling phase is necessary to either eliminate tree cover detections likely to be species other than the target, or to model species importance values associated with each tree occurrence. Close

• 13. [Article] Global Conservation of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

  Habitat destruction has driven much of the current biodiversity extinction crisis, and it compromises the essential benefits, or ecosystem services, that humans derive from functioning ecosystems. Securing ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Global Conservation of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Author: Turner, Will R., Brandon, Katrina, Brooks, Thomas M., Costanza, Robert Year: 2007 Habitat destruction has driven much of the current biodiversity extinction crisis, and it compromises the essential benefits, or ecosystem services, that humans derive from functioning ecosystems. Securing both species and ecosystem services might be accomplished with common solutions. Yet it is unknown whether these two major conservation objectives coincide broadly enough worldwide to enable global strategies for both goals to gain synergy. In this article, we assess the concordance between these two objectives, explore how the concordance varies across different regions, and examine the global potential for safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem services simultaneously. We find that published global priority maps for biodiversity conservation harbor a disproportionate share of estimated terrestrial ecosystem service value (ESV). Overlap of biodiversity priorities and ESV varies among regions, and in areas that have high biodiversity priority but low ESV, specialized conservation approaches are necessary. Overall, however, our findings suggest opportunities for safeguarding both biodiversity and ecosystem services. Sensitivity analyses indicate that results are robust to known limitations of available ESV data. Capitalizing on these opportunities will require the identification of synergies at fine scales, and the development of economic and policy tools to exploit them. Title: Global Conservation of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Author: Turner, Will R., Brandon, Katrina, Brooks, Thomas M., Costanza, Robert Year: 2007 Habitat destruction has driven much of the current biodiversity extinction crisis, and it compromises the essential benefits, or ecosystem services, that humans derive from functioning ecosystems. Securing both species and ecosystem services might be accomplished with common solutions. Yet it is unknown whether these two major conservation objectives coincide broadly enough worldwide to enable global strategies for both goals to gain synergy. In this article, we assess the concordance between these two objectives, explore how the concordance varies across different regions, and examine the global potential for safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem services simultaneously. We find that published global priority maps for biodiversity conservation harbor a disproportionate share of estimated terrestrial ecosystem service value (ESV). Overlap of biodiversity priorities and ESV varies among regions, and in areas that have high biodiversity priority but low ESV, specialized conservation approaches are necessary. Overall, however, our findings suggest opportunities for safeguarding both biodiversity and ecosystem services. Sensitivity analyses indicate that results are robust to known limitations of available ESV data. Capitalizing on these opportunities will require the identification of synergies at fine scales, and the development of economic and policy tools to exploit them. Close