Watson, Amanda, Reece, Joshua, Tirpak, B.E., Edwards, C.K., Geselbracht, Laura, Woodrey, Mark, La Peyre, M.K., and Dalyander, P.S., 2017, Data for Gulf Coast Vulnerability Assessment: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7BC3WR8.
Summary
The Gulf Coast Vulnerability Assessment utilized expert opinion that was gathered through the Standardized Index of Vulnerability and Value (SIVVA) tool, which is an Excel-based vulnerability and prioritization tool that enables assessors to provide input in a relatively short time and allows for relatively seamless compilation of results. The vulnerability of each ecosystem and associated species was conducted by subregion, excluding those subregions where the species did not occur in significant numbers. Assessors were asked to evaluate species based on the habitats they use in a particular subregion. Because vulnerability can vary with life-stage for many species, assessors were asked to consider the most vulnerable life-stage of [...]
Summary
The Gulf Coast Vulnerability Assessment utilized expert opinion that was gathered through the Standardized Index of Vulnerability and Value (SIVVA) tool, which is an Excel-based vulnerability and prioritization tool that enables assessors to provide input in a relatively short time and allows for relatively seamless compilation of results. The vulnerability of each ecosystem and associated species was conducted by subregion, excluding those subregions where the species did not occur in significant numbers. Assessors were asked to evaluate species based on the habitats they use in a particular subregion. Because vulnerability can vary with life-stage for many species, assessors were asked to consider the most vulnerable life-stage of the species for each criterion scored.
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Habitat and Species Vulnerability.xml Original FGDC Metadata
View
55.16 KB
application/fgdc+xml
Habitat Vulnerability.csv
6.6 KB
text/csv
Species Vulnerability.csv
16.24 KB
text/csv
Purpose
Today’s conservation challenges are complex, and impacting entire landscapes and multiple resources simultaneously rather than isolated places or individual species. Ongoing research to better identify and understand global climate patterns and trends indicates that future climate conditions and demands on resources cannot be predicted simply based on past circumstances. Therefore, new approaches are needed to incorporate changing conditions into conservation planning, design, and implementation. Vulnerability assessments help answer a key question for conservation: “How do these changing conditions affect ecosystems and species?” Answering this question informs the decisions being made by the conservation community today that will sustain natural resources for the future. Vulnerability assessments combine ecological and climate information to better understand how a species or ecosystem is likely to respond to changing conditions. By determining which resources are most vulnerable, managers are better able to set priorities for conservation, while understanding why they are vulnerable provides a basis for developing appropriate management and conservation adaptation strategies.
