Mapping legal authority for terrestrial conservation corridors along streams

Area of Science:

• Conservation Science
• Environmental Law
• Spatial Planning

Background:

• Habitat fragmentation threatens species persistence.
• Wildlife corridor implementation is hindered by complex land ownership and diverse regulatory authorities.
• Coordinating conservation efforts across jurisdictions is essential for effective habitat connectivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an integrative method for mapping legal authority and habitat condition to identify opportunities for connectivity conservation.
• To demonstrate the approach by mapping streamside corridor protection capacity.
• To inform conservation planners and practitioners on prioritizing actions for habitat connectivity.

Main Methods:

• Formulated a data-driven method to map multiple legal authorities weighted by coordination capacity.
• Generated a map of coordination capacity for streamside corridor protections.
• Combined legal-ecological resistance values with naturalness to create an integrated resistance map for connectivity modeling.
• Computed least-cost corridors focusing on streamside areas.

Main Results:

• The integrated, local-scale model identified streamside least-cost corridors that diverged from national-scale corridors.
• Mapping highlighted areas with potential for enhanced coordination through policy or restoration.
• The approach revealed opportunities to leverage existing mechanisms for riverine and terrestrial connectivity.

Conclusions:

• Combined mapping of legal authority and habitat condition provides a framework for strategic conservation planning.
• Streamside areas offer pragmatic opportunities for leveraging policy mechanisms to enhance habitat connectivity.
• This method can guide agencies and NGOs in prioritizing actions and building coordination capacity for habitat restoration and maintenance.