X-Maps Mark the Spots
Places Where Poorly Inventoried Species at Risk Are Possible
Dr. R.A. Lautenschlager, Executive Director, Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre
Background
In 2005 staff with the Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre (AC CDC) joined knowledgeable partners in an attempt to predict[1] where species of conservation concern, including Species at Risk (SAR), could be found in the Canadian Maritimes.
Although previous attempts provided adequate predictions for some Maritime plant species, results were generally unsatisfactory. Indeed, our best predictions proved to be only ~30% accurate for plants of conservation concern, and were much worse for animals.
Therefore, AC CDC staff concluded that there was no good way to use our existing observational information combined and bio-physical GIS layers, any time in the near-future, to accurately predict where poorly inventoried Species at Risk (SAR) were likely to be found in Atlantic Canada.
X-maps
At that point, staff suggested that species-specific expert knowledge (AC CDC staff, other field scientists, and knowledgeable members of the public) converted to species-specific GIS-based Maps (X-maps) would improve our ability to predict where poorly inventoried SAR could be found.
Initial, Maritime specific, X-maps were “broad brush”; simply identifying (“unlikely, possible, possible but less likely, and possible but much less likely”) geographic areas where individual SAR could be. However, those maps proved quite useful and helped direct a large number of successful inventory efforts by the AC CDC and others.
In 2007/2008 we began refining our first-generation maps for federally and provincially listed SAR. Whenever possible our refined maps were: 1) tied more closely to background ecological layers (Figure 1); 2) modified, based on the latest field information; and 3) identified three (or fewer) levels of possibility (“unlikely, possible, possible but less likely”).
Improving Conservation Decisions
X-maps have been (and are being) used, in association with known occurrences of SAR in Atlantic Canada, to support sustainable management decisions throughout the Region. X-maps are now available for the Atlantic Region (Maritimes, and Newfoundland and Labrador). Users requesting data from the AC CDC (related to specific points or polygons) are presently provided with lists, based on observational data of species that could be in the specific areas of interest. However, in the near future they will be provided with that list plus a list based on Atlantic Region X-maps. X-maps consistently indicate a significantly larger number of potential species than indicated by known occurrence data and accurately indicate where poorly inventoried SAR may occur across the landscape.
In addition, users of our data will soon be provided with species specific overviews of the habitats used by the individual SAR identified by the combined database/X-map search, and information about appropriate approaches to inventory those species (including specific expertise required to ensure that SAR are not overlooked).
Potentials for Canada
A recent survey of Canada CDCs found that staff believed that they possessed adequate inventories for ~25% of the federally listed SAR. In other words, CDCs across Canada face the problem previously faced by the AC CDC (how to identify, in a poorly inventoried landscape, areas where SAR could occur).
The X-map approach, described above, would seem to have great applicability for suggesting where inadequately inventoried SAR, and other species of conservation concern, known to occur across Canada, could be found. If developed by all CDCs it would help ensure that land managers/users across Canada had a standardized way of identifying where poorly inventoried SAR were possible. That information would position them to improve conservation decisions by securing the species specific field experts required to conduct appropriate inventories for specific SAR on properties of interest to them.
Conclusion
X-maps have improved conservation decisions in Atlantic Canada. Although they will soon be part of our standard response to data requests, X-maps have already been used to identify SAR potentials by a number of federal and provincial government agencies, and other interested users (including those writing SAR status reports). In addition to planning to continually improve our existing X-maps, we are presently considering developing similar maps for other species (likely G-ranked, and selected S1) in Atlantic Canada. We would appreciate hearing from others who may have investigated similar or other approaches designed to achieve the same objective.
Figure 1: Anticosti Aster (Symphyotrichum anticostense) in New Brunswick
Figure 1a: observation points before 2005 Figure 1b: X-map with possible (red) and possible but less likely (green), plus additional observation points (yellow & red) which followed the development of this map