SummaryThe Essential Connectivity Map shows a statewide network of 850 relatively intact Natural Landscape Blocks (ranging in size from 2,000 to about 3.7 million acres) connected by 192 Essential Connectivity Areas (Table 3.1). There are fewer Essential Connectivity Areas than Natural Landscape Blocks, because each Essential Connectivity Area serves to connect at least two, and as many as 15 Natural Landscape Blocks. Due to the broad, statewide nature of this map, and its focus on connecting very large blocks of mostly protected natural lands, the network omits many areas that are important to biological conservation. The purpose of the map is to focus attention on large areas important to maintaining ecological integrity at the broadest scale. Natural areas excluded from this broad-brush Essential Connectivity Network can therefore not be "written off" as unimportant to connectivity conservation or to sustaining California's natural heritage.DescriptionThe California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) commissioned the California Essential Habitat Connectivity Project because a functional network of connected wildlands is essential to the continued support of California's diverse natural communities in the face of human development and climate change. The Essential Connectivity Map depicts large, relatively natural habitat blocks that support native biodiversity (Natural Landscape Blocks) and areas essential for ecological connectivity between them (Essential Connectivity Areas). This coarse-scale map was based primarily on the concept of ecological integrity, rather than the needs of particular species. Essential Connectivity Areas are placeholder polygons that can inform land-planning efforts, but that should eventually be replaced by more detailed Linkage Designs, developed at finer resolution based on the needs of particular species and ecological processes. It is important to recognize that even areas outside of Natural Landscape Blocks and Essential Connectivity Areas support important ecological values that should not be "written off" as lacking conservation value. Furthermore, because the Essential Habitat Connectivity Map was created at the statewide scale, based on available statewide data layers, and ignored Natural Landscape Blocks smaller than 2,000 acres squared, it has errors of omission that should be addressed at regional and local scales.CEHC Least Cost Corridors (LACo)Mosaic of least-cost corridor results for all Essential Connectivity Areas and clipped to the LA County Boundary. The minimum cell value was used for overlapping cells.CEHC Cost Surface (LACo)Statewide resistance surface generated for least-cost corridor models and clipped to the LA County Boundary.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) commissioned the California Essential Habitat Connectivity Project because a functional network of connected wildlands is essential to the continued support of Californias diverse natural communities in the face of human development and climate change. The Essential Connectivity Map depicts large, relatively natural habitat blocks that support native biodiversity (Natural Landscape Blocks) and areas essential for ecological connectivity between them (Essential Connectivity Areas). This coarse-scale map was based primarily on the concept of ecological integrity, rather than the needs of particular species. Essential Connectivity Areas are placeholder polygons that can inform land-planning efforts, but that should eventually be replaced by more detailed Linkage Designs, developed at finer resolution based on the needs of particular species and ecological processes. It is important to recognize that even areas outside of Natural Landscape Blocks and Essential Connectivity Areas support important ecological values that should not be "written off" as lacking conservation value. Furthermore, because the Essential Habitat Connectivity Map was created at the statewide scale, based on available statewide data layers, and ignored Natural Landscape Blocks smaller than 2,000 acres squared, it has errors of omission that should be addressed at regional and local scales.

Analysis of ‘Interstate Connections - California Essential Habitat Connectivity (CEHC) [ds619]’ provided by Analyst-2 (analyst-2.ai), based on source dataset retrieved from https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/d80b1115-c5d3-4a9d-857d-2b212e08b3cd on 26 January 2022.

--- Dataset description provided by original source is as follows ---

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) commissioned the California Essential Habitat Connectivity Project because a functional network of connected wildlands is essential to the continued support of Californias diverse natural communities in the face of human development and climate change. The Essential Connectivity Map depicts large, relatively natural habitat blocks that support native biodiversity (Natural Landscape Blocks) and areas essential for ecological connectivity between them (Essential Connectivity Areas). This coarse-scale map was based primarily on the concept of ecological integrity, rather than the needs of particular species. Essential Connectivity Areas are placeholder polygons that can inform land-planning efforts, but that should eventually be replaced by more detailed Linkage Designs, developed at finer resolution based on the needs of particular species and ecological processes. It is important to recognize that even areas outside of Natural Landscape Blocks and Essential Connectivity Areas support important ecological values that should not be "written off" as lacking conservation value. Furthermore, because the Essential Habitat Connectivity Map was created at the statewide scale, based on available statewide data layers, and ignored Natural Landscape Blocks smaller than 2,000 acres squared, it has errors of omission that should be addressed at regional and local scales.

--- Original source retains full ownership of the source dataset ---

Analysis of ‘Natural Areas Small - California Essential Habitat Connectivity (CEHC) [ds1073]’ provided by Analyst-2 (analyst-2.ai), based on source dataset retrieved from https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/4f372ee5-5e9b-474e-a641-4e8f72815b81 on 28 January 2022.

--- Dataset description provided by original source is as follows ---

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) commissioned the California Essential Habitat Connectivity Project because a functional network of connected wildlands is essential to the continued support of Californias diverse natural communities in the face of human development and climate change. The Essential Connectivity Map depicts large, relatively natural habitat blocks that support native biodiversity (Natural Landscape Blocks) and areas essential for ecological connectivity between them (Essential Connectivity Areas). This coarse-scale map was based primarily on the concept of ecological integrity, rather than the needs of particular species. Essential Connectivity Areas are placeholder polygons that can inform land-planning efforts, but that should eventually be replaced by more detailed Linkage Designs, developed at finer resolution based on the needs of particular species and ecological processes. It is important to recognize that even areas outside of Natural Landscape Blocks and Essential Connectivity Areas support important ecological values that should not be "written off" as lacking conservation value. Furthermore, because the Essential Habitat Connectivity Map was created at the statewide scale, based on available statewide data layers, and ignored Natural Landscape Blocks smaller than 2,000 acres squared, it has errors of omission that should be addressed at regional and local scales.

--- Original source retains full ownership of the source dataset ---

The Essential Connectivity Map shows a statewide network of 850 relatively intact Natural Landscape Blocks (ranging in size from 2,000 to about 3.7 million acres) connected by 192 Essential Connectivity Areas (Table 3.1). There are fewer Essential Connectivity Areas than Natural Landscape Blocks, because each Essential Connectivity Area serves to connect at least two, and as many as 15 Natural Landscape Blocks. Due to the broad, statewide nature of this map, and its focus on connecting very large blocks of mostly protected natural lands, the network omits many areas that are important to biological conservation. The purpose of the map is to focus attention on large areas important to maintaining ecological integrity at the broadest scale. Natural areas excluded from this broad-brush Essential Connectivity Network can therefore not be "written off" as unimportant to connectivity conservation or to sustaining California's natural heritage.

Ecological connectivity map, defines the level of interconnection between the different natural areas identified as ‘source areas’. The information useful for the construction of the map is deduced through the application of "cost distance" algorithms starting from friction scores assigned to each habitat.

Habitat Patches: The patches have been identified through use of an effective habitat area analysis. This analysis reflects the generalist habitat condition assigned to every 15m grid cell across the ACT region and the context or combined habitat values of the grids that surround it or are in its near vicinity. Patches are defined by polygons that include all adjoining grid cells that are in the highest 20% for spatial context for all grid cells across the ACT Region. The legend indicates patches that are >10ha or that are from 5 – 10 ha.The ACT connectivity mapping was undertaken by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. The study was funded as part of the offset package for the loss of woodland associated with the Kings Highway upgrade. A full study report has been produced, and is entitled Fine Scale Modelling of Fauna Habitat and Connectivity Values in the ACT Region. This study built upon an earlier report entitled the Ecological Connectivity for Climate Change in the ACT and surrounding region, commissioned by the ACT Government as part of Weathering the Change Action Plan 1. The report was undertaken by the Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University. It is recommended that both reports be consulted when use is being made of the connectivity mapping available. Reports can be downloaded from the ESDD website at http://www.environment.act.gov.au/cpr/report_series. Creative Common By Attribution 4.0 (Australian Capital Territory), Please read Data Terms and Conditions statement before data use.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) commissioned the California Essential Habitat Connectivity Project because a functional network of connected wildlands is essential to the continued support of Californias diverse natural communities in the face of human development and climate change. The Essential Connectivity Map depicts large, relatively natural habitat blocks that support native biodiversity (Natural Landscape Blocks) and areas essential for ecological connectivity between them (Essential Connectivity Areas). This coarse-scale map was based primarily on the concept of ecological integrity, rather than the needs of particular species. Essential Connectivity Areas are placeholder polygons that can inform land-planning efforts, but that should eventually be replaced by more detailed Linkage Designs, developed at finer resolution based on the needs of particular species and ecological processes. It is important to recognize that even areas outside of Natural Landscape Blocks and Essential Connectivity Areas support important ecological values that should not be written off as lacking conservation value. Furthermore, because the Essential Habitat Connectivity Map was created at the statewide scale, based on available statewide data layers, and ignored Natural Landscape Blocks smaller than 2,000 acres squared, it has errors of omission that should be addressed at regional and local scales.

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1. Natural habitats in urban areas provide benefits for both humans and biodiversity. However, to achieve biodiversity gains we require new techniques to determine habitat suitability and ecological connectivity that will inform urban planning and development.
2. Using an example of an urban population of water voles (Arvicola amphibius) we developed a habitat suitability model and a resistance-surface-based model of landscape connectivity to identify potential connectivity between areas of suitable habitat. We then updated the environmental variables according to new urban development plans and used our models to generate spatially explicit predictions of both habitat suitability and connectivity.
3. To make models accessible to urban and conservation planners we developed an interactive mapping tool that provided users with a graphical user interface (GUI) to inform conservation planning for this species.
4. The model found that habitat suitability for water voles was related to distance from key environmental variables, such as built-up areas and urban green spaces, while the connectivity model identified important corridors connecting areas of potential distribution for this species.
5. Future development plans altered the potential spatial distribution of the water vole population, reducing the extent of suitable habitat in some core areas. The interactive mapping tool made available suitable habitat and connectivity maps for conservation managers to assess new planning applications and for the development of a conservation action plan for water voles.
6. Synthesis and applications: We believe this approach provides a framework for future development of nature conservation tools that can be used by planners to inform ecological decision making, increase biodiversity and reduce human-wildlife conflict in urban environments.

This dataset shows the modelled regional connectivity links for generalist species (birds and small mammals). Based local corridor values based on least cost paths through a local links dataset (see Barrett and Love 2012) at 2012. Categories indicate quality of regional connectivity between larger high value habitat patches. Dataset has been re-categorised from the original raster data source to eliminate "no value" cells and converted to a vector.Regional Linkage Value: This layer is derived from a two-step process. The first process is a “join the dots” links analysis using 550,000 paths between point pairs selected at random. Points were grouped in high value woodland habitat patches only. This least cost pathway analysis was then run through the local links paths, that is regional links were preferentially routed along paths that did not have a canopy gap of >100m. High values indicate that more paths were found, i.e. more important for regional connectivity between high value habitat patches.connectivityLinkageValue:Represents the categorisation of the "accumulated least cost pathway" value for each linkage between habitat patches. Least cost pathway indicates the a combination of habitat suitability of nodes along the path, and a the barriers to migration along that pathway.The ACT connectivity mapping was undertaken by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. A full study report has been produced, and is entitled Fine Scale Modelling of Fauna Habitat and Connectivity Values in the ACT Region. This study built upon an earlier report entitled the Ecological Connectivity for Climate Change in the ACT and surrounding region, commissioned by the ACT Government as part of Weathering the Change Action Plan 1. The report was undertaken by the Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University (Manning et al 2010). It is recommended that both reports be consulted when use is being made of the connectivity mapping available. Reports can be downloaded from the EPSDD website at https://www.act.gov.au/environment/research-and-data/conservation-research-and-technical-reports (Technical reports 21 and 27).Updates: This dataset is static. Fit for purpose: 2012 temporal coverage. This dataset should be used as a modelled tool for aiding landuse, strategic town planning, and conservation planning in the ACT including revegetation targets and informing environmental impacts of infrastructure and building projects. Cell size 15x15m.Disclaimer: While all care is taken to ensure accuracy, the ACT Government does not warrant that the map is free from errors.

Movements of individuals within and among populations help to maintain genetic variability and population viability. Therefore, understanding landscape connectivity is vital for effective species conservation. The snow leopard is endemic to mountainous areas of Central Asia and occurs within 12 countries. We assess potential connectivity across the species' range to highlight corridors for dispersal and genetic flow between populations, prioritizing research and conservation action for this wide-ranging, endangered top-predator. We used resistant kernel modeling to assess snow leopard population connectivity across its global range. We developed an expert-based resistance surface that predicted cost of movement as functions of topographical complexity and land cover. The distribution of individuals was simulated as a uniform density of points throughout the currently accepted global range. We modeled population connectivity from these source points across the resistance surface using three different dispersal scenarios that likely bracket the lifetime movements of individual snow leopard: 100km, 500km and 1000km. The resistant kernel models produced predictive surfaces of dispersal frequency across the snow leopard range for each distance scenario. We evaluated the pattern of connectivity in each of these scenarios and identified potentially important movement corridors and areas where connectivity might be impeded. The models predicted two regional populations, in the north and south of the species range respectively, and revealed a number of potentially important connecting areas. Discrepancies between model outputs and observations highlight unsurveyed areas of connected habitat that urgently require surveying to improve understanding of the global distribution and ecology of snow leopard, and target land management actions to prevent population isolation. The connectivity maps provide a strong basis for directed research and conservation action, and usefully direct the attention of policy makers.

Habitat Connectivity Investment Priorities are represented by two completely independent ranks, Ecological Stewardship and Wildlife-related Safety, and a third, Maximum Rank, that is simply the highest value found in Ecological Stewardship and Wildlife-related Safety ranks. These ranks were developed for the state highway system by 1-mile highway segment. The Ecological Stewardship rank reflects a highway segment’s overlap with the ranges of select Endangered or Threatened wildlife and its proximity to connected networks of habitat identified by the Washington Habitat Connectivity Working Group. The listed species selected for inclusion in the ranking process were those species known to be most affected by highways, either due to road mortality or behavioral avoidance or both. Lacking overlap with listed species’ ranges, a base score could still be given to highway segments that overlapped an area of high landscape integrity as identified by the Washington Habitat Connectivity Working Group (WHCWG). If a base score for any of these factors was assigned, rank values were then subject to multipliers for traffic volume and nearby blocks of public land. Highways that carry greater traffic volumes generally have a greater harmful effect on wildlife, both in terms of mortality and the barrier effect caused by behavioral avoidance. Protected lands (many public lands and private lands held in preserves or under protective easements) tend to offer a stable habitat base into the distant future and WSDOT investments in durable infrastructure are more likely to have long term benefits where public lands are present on one or both sides of the highway. The Safety Rank is a reflection of carcass removal and wildlife collision rates or simple overlap with the range of one of Washington’s larger wild animals. Identified carcass removal or collision problem areas were given higher numerical ranks than areas within the ranges of species but without a documented problem. The Maximum Rank is simply the highest of the other two ranks. Rankings updated in January 2018.

1. Understanding the consequences of global change for animal movement is a major issue for conservation and management. In particular, habitat fragmentation generates increased densities of linear landscape features that can impede movements.

2. While the influence of these features on animal movements has been intensively investigated, they may also play a key role at broader spatial scales (e.g. the home range scale) as resources, cover from predators/humans, corridors/barriers, or landmarks. How space use respond to varying densities of linear features has been mostly overlooked in large herbivores, in contrast to studies done on predators. Focusing on large herbivores should provide additional insights to understand how animals solve the trade-off between energy acquisition and mortality risk.

3. Here, we investigated the role of anthropogenic (roads and tracks) and natural (ridges, valley bottoms and forest edges) linear features on home range features in five large herbivores. We analysed an extensive GPS monitoring data base of 696 individuals across nine populations, ranging from mountain areas mostly divided by natural features to lowlands that were highly fragmented by anthropogenic features.

4. Nearly all of the linear features studied were found at the home range periphery, suggesting that large herbivores primarily use them as landmarks to delimit their home range. In contrast, for mountain species, ridges often occurred in the core range, probably related to their functional role in terms of resources and refuge. When the density of linear features was high, they no longer occurred predominantly at the home range periphery, but instead were found across much of the home range. We suggest that, in highly fragmented landscapes, large herbivores are constrained by the costs of memorising the spatial location of key features, and by the requirement for a minimum area to satisfy their vital needs.

5. These patterns were mostly consistent in both males and females and across species, suggesting that linear features have a preponderant influence on how large herbivores perceive and use the landscape.

Last updated: 22 November 2023 The ACT Ecological Network Dashboard summarises early outputs from the ACT Government's Urban Habitat and Connectivity Project, which brought together wildlife experts from across Australia to help inform the conservation of connected wildlife habitat in our urban area. For more details on this project, and the Connecting Nature Connecting People program which it supports, visit our website or email cncp@act.gov.au. This dashboard focuses on a map, which has two main components. The Blue-Green Network provides a forward-looking vision for a connected network of wildlife habitat across Canberra. The UHCP Fragmentation Mapping reflect existing potential habitat for seven different species groups and indicate (via the use of colour) which potential habitat areas are ecologically connected to one another. The dashboard can be used to help identify priority urban areas to protect, enhance and restore ecological connectivity and deliver best-practice outcomes for our urban wildlife. Associated maps: ACT Urban Connectivity How to cite this data: ACT Government, 2023. ACT Ecological Network Dashboard, version 2. Developed by the Office of Nature Conservation, Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate, Canberra. Contact: For accessibility issues or data enquiries please contact the Connecting Nature, Connecting People team, cncp@act.gov.au.