A Spatial Prioritization Approach for Identifying Future Conservation Reserve Program Opportunities to Enhance...

Protecting global biodiversity depends on safeguarding foundation species in forested ecosystems. Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystems are native to the Southeastern United States. This ecosystem is rich in biodiversity and supports several endemic wildlife species. Over time, longleaf pine has become fragmented. The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) provides an opportunity to restore longleaf pine in its native range and improve habitat connectivity; however, enrollment is often opportunistic and not necessarily aimed at maximizing environmental benefits at the landscape level, including wildlife habitat. We developed a spatial prioritization approach to identify future CRP opportunities that improve habitat connectivity for longleaf pine-associated species. After identifying CRP-eligible and longleaf-suitable fields, we created resistance layers around each field. Next, we developed two cost surface layers for each field: one incorporating CRP into the landscape and one not. The difference in movement costs between the two scenarios reflected the relative increase in CRP-related connectivity. We identified high uplift opportunities in the Central Florida Ridges and Uplands, the Florida Panhandle, and the Carolina Sandhills. Local landscapes with higher percentages of high-resistance land cover (developed, roads) and higher levels of longleaf pine clustering provided greater uplift in habitat connectivity for CRP opportunities. Our spatial prioritization approach provides information for conservation practitioners that can be adopted or modified into a framework to enhance longleaf pine conservation and the conservation of other foundation species worldwide.