THE ROLE OF GIS

IN CONSERVATION

DESIGN AND

SUSTAINABILITY

PLANNING

Case Study of Two Southern Appalachian Projects

A sense of place

GIS 101

Landscape Ecology & Green Infrastructure

Case studies of conservation and sustainable design:

- Roan Highlands

- Land of Sky

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GEOGRAPHIC

INFORMATION

SYSTEMS

(GIS)

Ask A Question

Select/Collect Data

Choose Analysis

Method(s)Process Data

View the Result

A LOOK AT A GIS

MORE FLAVORS OF GIS

GIS ON THE WEB

WHAT IS OUR SPATIAL RELATIONSHIP TO

THINGS WE VALUE?

Biodiversity Recreation

Mineral, Forest, & Water Resources Aesthetic & Cultural Values

WHERE DO WE LIKE TO LIVE?

Atlanta

Chattanooga

MANAGING OURSELVES AND RESOURCES?

HOW ARE THESE RESOURCES THREATENED?

Increasing Population

Interstate Corridor –bedroom communities

Overall Southeast population growth evolution of a “Mega-region” – 68% increase in SE population by 2050*

* Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development

(COGRD), Georgia Tech: http://hdl.handle.net/1853/13128

HOUSING DENSITY PROJECTIONS

THE DISCONNECT:

PLANNING

• Unsustainable growth causes permanent losses in:

- ecological function

- wildlife diversity

- agricultural resources

- hunting and recreation access

- water quality

- cultural identity

IMPACTING RESOURCES

GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE?

• Strategically planned, managed network

• Parks, preserves, conservation easements, greenways, and working lands

• Supports native species, maintains ecological processes

• Sustains air land, and water resources

• Contributes to health and quality of life

PRINCIPLES OF LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY

NATURAL CONNECTIVITY OF RESOURCES

WHERE SHOULD WE DIRECT GROWTH

CASE STUDIES:

EXAMPLES FROM APPLIED CONSERVATION

PLANNING OR GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE

ASSESSMENT PROJECTS

ROAN HIGHLANDS

CONSERVATION PLAN

Carter County, TN

Avery County, NC

A .Carroll 2008 A. Carroll 2008

A. Carroll 2008 Courtesy of Flickr

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/media/collections/nc/overmountain.jpg

(National Geographic Society 1979)Courtesy of The Conservation Fund

PRIVATELY OWNED

LANDS

• ~ 81% of total project area is private or not managed for resource conservation

• Spatially define multi-state priority habitat

• Prioritize results with recreational and cultural datasets

• Make this data available to local government and SAHC

PROJECT

OBJECTIVES

LAND COVER DERIVED FROM SATELLITE

IMAGERY AND AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

SELECTED MODEL & PARAMETERS

CONSERVATION

PRIORITIES

LINKING LANDS AND COMMUNITIES

IN THE LAND-OF-SKY REGION

OBJECTIVES

• Spatially define ecological, agricultural, recreational, and cultural resources

• Illustrate relationships, connectivity, and distribution across the landscape

• Use existing GIS datasets

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ASSESSMENT APPROACH

• 3 assessments:

1) Agricultural

2) Water Quality

3) Wildlife Habitat and Biodiversity Assessment

• Resources ranked on ordinal scale of 1 -10

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Which lands are

valuable for farming

and forestry?

Primary Components:

• Presence of an existing farm/forest operation

• Land Cover

• Most productive soils

AGRICULTURE

ASSESSMENT –

CONCEPTUAL MODEL

Water Quality – Which

lands are valuable for

providing clean water?

Primary Components:

• Watershed Sub-Basins

• Land Cover/Land Use

• Stream Quality

WATER QUALITY CONCEPTUAL MODEL

• Create a model that prioritizes large naturally occurring ecological systems over impacted or altered landscapes

• Identifies and values known biodiversity hot spots

• Places highest values on special interest species and communities identified in the NC Wildlife Action Plan

Wildlife Habitat and

Biodiversity Assessment

Wildlife Habitat & Biodiversity Assessment

Habitat

Large & Functioning

Assemblage of Natural Systems

Core Area

Core Area Index

Perimeter - to - Area Ratio

Proximity

Agricultural and Open-developed Land Use

Open Water

Impervious Surfaces

BiodiversityAquatic

Significant Natural Heritage Areas

Native Trout Streams

DWQ Excellent and Good Bioclass Streams

DWQ High Quality Waters

DWQ Outstanding Resource Waters

Streams with Federal T&E Species

TNC - WRC - NHP Priority Watersheds

All Other Streams

Terrestrial Significant Natural Heritage Areas

Natural Heritage Element Occurrences

Important Bird Areas

Wetlands (NWI)

TNC Portfolio Sites

Agricultural and Open-developed Land Use

Impervious Surfaces

Special Interest Species or

Communities

WAP Ecological Systems

Impervious Surfaces

• We are all part of a much larger landscape

• GIS allows us to view our place within this landscape, while examining our relationship to natural resources and ecological functions

• Growth is coming to this region

• We can make better informed decisions on land use and sustainability through GIS and modeling methods such as “Green Infrastructure” assessments

• Goal is to direct growth in a way that protects the natural environment and cultural resources

• Allow for smart growth in less important places

IN SUMMARY