When
Speaker: Ryan Perkl, School of Landscape Architecture and Planning, University of Arizona
Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Time: 3:00-4:00 pm
Location: Marley Building, Room 230
ABSTRACT:
As part of a Desert Southwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (DSCESU) Cooperative Agreement with Saguaro National Park, we explored possible connectivity related threats amongst the parks eastern district and surrounding landscape. A benchmark connectivity scenario was establishing using landscape integrity and habitat suitability surfaces for several focal species. Future connectivity scenarios were then generated by adjusting the benchmark surfaces to reflect projected urban and exurban development using the SLEUTH urban growth simulation model. A gap analysis was then conducted to detect network congruency between the benchmark and projected connectivity scenarios illuminating future threats to existing connectivity. Impacts varied markedly amongst focal species indicating that some species may be more negatively impacted than others. Impacts also varied drastically amongst block pairs illustrating that several connections were more threatened than others. In totality, we found that projected urban growth would negatively impact 48% of the composite corridor network amongst all focal species and block pairs.