This project identified priority areas in the Columbia Plateau Ecoregion to focus on for riverine and riparian habitat conservation. The project’s products are tailored towards the Arid Lands Initiative (ALI) conservation goals and objectives and provide the foundation for adaptation to a changing climate. We adopted a “zoned” approach to identifying focal areas, connectivity management zones, and zones for riparian habitat and ecological representation. Through a series of workshops and webinars, the ALI identified freshwater species for targeted conservation, including Pacific lamprey, bull trout, redband trout, riparian birds and waterfowl, and beavers. The methods to spatially identify a conservation design in pursuit of the ALI’s goals were developed through a series of one-one-one interviews with freshwater scientists across multiple agencies, universities, and NGOs. Results from Marxan analysis were classified to identify and map high priority focal areas, connectivity zones, and riparian representation zones. Individual partners within the ALI are using these maps to implement strategies that feed into their broader landscape conservation design plans.
This project was funded jointly by the Northwest CSC and the Great Northern LCC.
