Intact Habitat Cores (Southeast Blueprint Indicator ) [U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service] {2023} Full Details

Full Details

Title:

Intact Habitat Cores (Southeast Blueprint Indicator ) [U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service] {2023}

Description:

Reason for Selection Large areas of intact natural habitat are favorable for conservation of numerous species, including reptiles and amphibians, birds, and large mammals. The Esri Green Infrastructure data covers the entire United States and has been used in other broad-scale conservation planning efforts, so using this existing data helps align the Blueprint with other conservation efforts and reduce duplication of effort. We chose to use "Core Size (acres)" as the metric for this indicator. Other evaluation attributes included in this index, such as the default "Core Score", were less suitable because they were calculated using inputs that are duplicative of other indicators. Input Data Esri Green Infrastructure Data: Intact habitat cores by state, core size (acres) We downloaded this dataset by state fromarcgis.com.TheEsri Green Infrastructure websiteprovides more information about these data, access to the models utilized to generate them, and additional online applications for green infrastructure planning. More information about the intact habitat cores is available here and in this FAQs document. Esri's description of the core size metric states: "Cores were derived from the 2011 National Land Cover dataset. The ‘natural' land cover classes were included, and all ‘developed' and ‘agricultural' classes, including crop, hay and pasture lands, were excluded. The resulting cores were tested for size and width requirements (at least 100 acres in size and greater than 200 m) and then converted into unique polygons." 2019 National Land Cover Database(NLCD) Base Blueprint 2022 extent Southeast Blueprint 2023 extent Mapping Steps Create a new feature class by merging all the state-level "Intact Habitat Cores (March 2017)" polygon feature classes that cover the Southeast region using the ArcPy Merge function. Delete identical polygons from the merged feature class using the ArcPy Delete Identical function. This removes duplicate polygons that span state boundaries and are included in multiple state layers. Convert the polygon to a raster using the ArcPy Polygon to Raster function using the value field of "Acres". This results in a raster dataset with 30 m cell size with values based on the "Core Size (acres)" field calculated by the Esri Green Infrastructure Data group. Change NoData values (pixels not covered by an intact habitat core) to 0. Zero values are intended to help users better understand the extent of this indicator and make it perform better in online tools. Use NLCD to remove zero values in deep marine areas, which are outside the scope of this terrestrial indicator. Reclassify to NoData any area with a pixel value >0 in the NLCD. Reclassify the above raster into 4 classes, seen in the final indicator values below. Clip to the spatial extent of Base Blueprint 2022. As a final step, clip to the spatial extent of Southeast Blueprint 2023. Note: For more details on the mapping steps, code used to create this layer is available in the Southeast Blueprint 2023 Data Download under > 6_Code. Final indicator values Indicator values are assigned as follows: 3 = Large core (>10,000 acres) 2 = Medium core (>1,000-10,000 acres) 1 = Small core (>100-1,000 acres) 0 = Not a core Known Issues The core analysis for this indicator is based on the 2011 NLCD, not the more recent 2019 NLCD. The data creator (Esri) plans to update the source data to more recent landcover next year. Esri has also shared the scripts and input data used to create this layer, which may also help update this indicator in the future. Even small dirt roads serve as hard boundaries for habitat cores. While this makes sense for some species, the effective size of the patch for some more mobile animals is likely underestimated. Waterbodies like reservoirs are also considered part of habitat cores, so this layer likely overestimates the effective size of the habitat core for most species. Disclaimer: Comparing with Older Indicator Versions There are numerous problems with using Southeast Blueprint indicators for change analysis. Please consult Blueprint staff if you would like to do this (email hilary_morris@fws.gov). Literature Cited Esri Green Infrastructure Center, Inc. 2017. Esri Green Infrastructure Data Description.[https://www.arcgis.com/sharing/rest/content/items/5561da06127d48a982d6b91929f29666/data].

Creator:

Department of the Interior

Provider:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Open Data

Resource Class:

Imagery and Web services

Resource Type:

Satellite imagery

Temporal Coverage:

2023

Date Issued:

2023-09-25

Place:

United States

Rights:

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein. While the Service makes every reasonable effort to ensure the accuracy and completeness of data provided for distribution, it may not have the necessary accuracy or completeness required for every possible intended use. The Service recommends that data users consult the associated metadata record to understand the quality and possible limitations of the data. The Service creates metadata records in accordance with the standards endorsed by the Federal Geographic Data Committee. As a result of the above considerations, the Service gives no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of the data. It is the responsibility of the data user to use the data in a manner consistent with the limitations of geospatial data in general and these data in particular. Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the Service, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made regarding the utility of the data on another system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. This applies to the use of the data both alone and in aggregate with other data and information.

Access Rights:

Public

Format:

Imagery

Language:

English

Date Added:

2023-10-17