Riparian wildlife habitat analysis in the arid Southwestern United States

The Boghole Waterfowl Project was created in 1974 when a 60466 cu m impoundment was constructed. The reservoir was created to form the base facility for a migratory waterfowl habitat. Oblique and vertical photography was used to analyse the site's capability of supporting aquatic vegetation for wildlife habitat needs. Wildlife habitat planning requires the identification of information in three related areas: 1) habitat potential; 2) habitat requirement needs of a given wildlife population; and 3) species behaviour as it is influenced by the habitat.     

Planning and designing for the multiple use role of habitats in urban/suburban landscapes in the Great Basin

Most researchers agree that preserving, creating, and restoring urban wildlife habitats has to be an interdisciplinary undertaking if it is to succeed. Ecologists and wildlife biologists must be key participants. The culturally modified context of most urban habitats suggests that landscape architects also have a primary role to play.Open space in the urban/suburban environment is a scarce and valuable resource. Private and public sector pressure to convert these spaces to commercial or intensive recreational uses are immediate and intense. Presenting arguments to preserve or restore urban open space solely as habitat for wildlife is seldom successful. Decision makers are more likely to support urban wildlife habitat programs if other uses are also accommodated.There is a growing body of research data that suggests that wildlife are being adversely impacted by multiple uses of urban habitats. The challenge for planners and designers is to minimize adverse impacts and capitalize on those attributes of other uses that enhance habitat value. Planning for the temporal as well as spatial dimensions of site uses is required if the needs of wildlife are to be met.The paper presents three general areas in which landscape architects have traditionally contributed to an interdisciplinary approach to urban wildlife habitat planning: contextual perspective, problem solving process, and design/technical execution.Reflecting back on his past 10 years of experience as a landscape architect planning urban wildlife habitats, the author presents several case study projects in which: (A) accommodation of multiple use objectives, including wildlife habitat, was required; (B) interdisciplinary teams participated in the planning and design process; (C) key principles from the fields of landscape ecology, conservation biology and wildlife biology were applied to facility and activity location, habitat configuration, and management.Plans of completed projects are used to illustrate how habitat values were preserved or enhanced and multiple uses accommodated in public open spaces. The paper concludes with a brief summary of keys to success common to each project.     

Planning for avian wildlife in urbanizing areas in American desert/mountain valley environments

Residents in western American states are expressing a growing interest in wildlife-oriented recreation in the urbanized environment. Unfortunately, present development practices which convert rural land to urban use, often under the guidance of landscape architects and planners, have caused the displacement of many wildlife species. Vegetation management in urban areas has produced equally detrimental effects on urban wildlife. The net result has been a decline in overall urban wildlife species diversity.Landscape architects, planners, urban foresters and others involved in land conversion and vegetation management have a tremendous opportunity to improve the quality of urban wildlife habitat and to benefit the growing number of urban wildlife enthusiasts. However, to do so the planning and design pofessions must appreciate the value of urban wildlife, become aware of wildlife welfare needs and incorporate wildlife as a significant factor in the design process.General wildlife welfare needs are discussed and recommendations regarding ways to integrate wildlife as a factor in traditional planning and management decision making processes are presented. Specific recommendations for wildlife habitat preservation, enhancement and rehabilitation are provided.     

A risk assessment of landscape hazards for building sites in the Front Range mountains of Colorado

The extent to which urban open space corridors meet recreational, habitat and wildlife needs is highly dependent on the degree to which the interactive effects of these uses are identified and incorporated into planning, design and management decisions. For managers who aim to enhance compatibility between people and wildlife, the challenge is to bridge the gap between established practice and a more multi-functional approach. Ultimately the aim should be to put in place an enlightened and sympathetic management regime that supports indigenous biodiversity maintainable at an acceptable cost and is compatible with providing sufficient access to cater for a wide range of recreational activities. Principles relating to site evaluation and corridor management are discussed in the context of a case study in Singapore.     

Is Managed Recreational Use Compatible with Effective Habitat and Wildlife Occurrence in Urban Open Space Corridor Systems?

The extent to which urban open space corridors meet recreational, habitat and wildlife needs is highly dependent on the degree to which the interactive effects of these uses are identified and incorporated into planning, design and management decisions. For managers who aim to enhance compatibility between people and wildlife, the challenge is to bridge the gap between established practice and a more multi-functional approach. Ultimately the aim should be to put in place an enlightened and sympathetic management regime that supports indigenous biodiversity maintainable at an acceptable cost and is compatible with providing sufficient access to cater for a wide range of recreational activities. Principles relating to site evaluation and corridor management are discussed in the context of a case study in Singapore.     

International greenways: a Red River Valley case study

Building and preserving a network of greenways can be an intricate activity requiring interdisciplinary collaboration. Greenway segments often require local input and participation. In addition, greenways are not necessarily generic open spaces, but can be managed structurally to fulfill specific spatial and temporal requirements. This paper describes local activities in the Fargo (North Dakota)-Moorhead (Minnesota) metropolitan area related to preserving and embellishing the greenway focused around the Red River Valley of the North. This greenway is part of a larger Western Hemisphere greenway, composed of riparian corridors operating as wildlife habitat migration flyways and as resident wildlife habitat. Local activities include demonstration gardens, comprehensive corridor planning, habitat analysis, and revegetation studies. From 1985 to 1990, four spatial treatment investigations were completed, one spatial planning study was prepared, and five demonstration gardens were built. The spatial treatment investigations revealed that the wildlife occupying the greenway could be divided into four habitat-use dimensions, suggesting four important habitat associations for the greenway. The study also revealed three distinct vegetation zones for re-establishing herbaceous vegetation in non-wooded planting conditions. In addition, one experiment indicated that replanting the disturbed woodland corridor was not influenced by seedling size and that Fraxinus pennsylvanica seedlings were highly successful at surviving in a gap opening within the forest corridor. In the last experiment, a seeding application rate study indicated that seeding rates three times higher than recommended rates resulted in improved vegetation cover of non-wooded herbaceous vegetation planting sites. The spatial planning study illustrated landscape patterns for the greenway composed of a continuous tree canopy corridor, augmented by herbaceous vegetation patches, food plots, and snags. To build and manage the greenway, this investigation reaffirms the importance of multi-disciplinary collaboration, local participation, and the potential individualistic structure of a greenway. The study suggests that both broad landscape planning visions and detailed site endeavors are necessary to understand and manage the greenway successfully.     

A framework for the design of wildlife conservation corridors With specific application to southwestern Ontario

Natural disturbances and human development can cause habitat fragmentation. Plant and animal populations can become isolated, but wildlife corridors can potentially alleviate the problem by providing linkages between isolated patches of natural areas. These connecting corridors need to be designed to create habitat appropriate for target species.This study developed a framework for design of wildlife corridors which considered both critical corridor attributes and target species. It provided a methodology for use in designing corridors to ensure appropriate species composition. Objectives included identifying and analyzing attributes which constitute a corridor. An ‘ecosystem approach’ for selecting guilds of target species was used. The framework was applied to a fragmented landscape case study in southwestern Ontario, Canada.Results indicated that, by applying this framework to a fragmented landscape, ecologically appropriate corridors could be designed when corridor attributes and target species were carefully analyzed. In addition, it was shown that optimal corridor designs could be altered to fit a landscape's opportunities and constraints.     

Natural links: naturalistic golf courses as wildlife habitat

Worldwide, there are over 25,000 golf courses. In the United States, there are approximately 15,000, with developers building about 350 new courses each year. Japan, Taiwan, China, and other countries are experiencing a similar golf boom. Some developers regard golf course development as one of the fastest growing types of land development in the world. Typically considered by ecologists to be an environmental problem, scientists are now reexamining golf courses to assess their potential to be wildlife habitat. Can naturalistic courses (those with substantial amounts of native wildlife habitat) actually benefit wildlife populations, especially birds, and still be attractive to golfers? My ecological research with a well-known naturalized links-style golf course in Kansas suggests that a naturalistic golf course can support significant numbers of birds, including many threatened species. When compared to a nearby natural area, the golf course equaled the natural area in total bird species richness but not in the relative abundance of specific kinds of birds. Naturalistic golf courses, while not natural areas, can complement biological reserves, military reservations, greenbelts, parks, farms, backyards and other units of the regional habitat mosaic. The large amount of habitat on naturalistic courses also reduces water runoff, irrigation, and chemical inputs. Furthermore, raising the profile of naturally landscaped golf courses can engage thousands of additional people in wildlife habitat preservation issues. Naturalistic courses are growing in popularity and the golfing community is responsive to aesthetic and environmental concerns. With the involvement of ecologists, this burgeoning interest in natural habitats on golf courses may significantly increase the amount of wildlife habitat, especially if designers build these kinds of courses in urban areas and on degraded landscapes such as landfills, quarries, and eroded lands.     

How the Boone and Crockett Club (B&C) shaped North American conservation

Wildlife in North America was under great threat in the late 1800s and large mammals and birds were declining at a rapid rate. There were no legal restrictions on the use of natural resources and excessive exploitation was the rule. To return wildlife to their historic habitats required immediate action. Theodore Roosevelt and other prominent citizens formed the B&C in 1887 for this purpose. The B&C became a leading force in the formation of national parks and forests, wildlife laws and conservation policies, and its efforts salvaged wildlife and created the system of conservation that still exists today. Herein, we provide a brief sketch of the role of the B&C in North American conservation.     

引导自然的自发秩序——以杭州江洋畈生态 公园内各野生动物种群的环境适应情况为例

都市“再野化”景观的营造,为城市自然栖息地的 存续提供庇护,也为市民近距离观察、欣赏自然全貌提供可 能。以杭州江洋畈生态公园为例,真实还原城市公园的“再野 化”景观设计举措对城市野生动物生存产生的深远影响。基于 园内陆生野生动物的生境分布情况及行为特点,采用样线法和 样方法相结合的方式,对栖息于此的野生动物进行持续观察研 究,发现以下生态设计策略对“引导自然自发秩序”起到至关 重要的作用,有效地促进了当地生态系统的健康演替：1)生境 岛的留存及栈道的设置有利于减少游客对栖息地的干扰;2)降 低灯光亮度、采用LED光源和减少照明时长能有效保护附近鸟 类和昆虫;3)提高果树、蜜源植物和寄主植物的比例能有效 提高鸟类和昆虫的丰富性;4)减少灭虫化学药剂的使用、保 留林间朽木能够显著提升昆虫的多样性,同时为小兽栖息提供 庇护。从园内动物的物种多样性、分布情况及特殊习性的形成 3个方面入手,分析景观设计对野生动物栖息产生的影响,以 及为未来的相关设计提供建议和启发。     

Nest distribution of magpies Pica pica sericea as related to habitat connectivity in an urban environment

Understanding the relationship between population dynamics and habitat connectivity is crucial for effective conservation and management of wildlife. In this study, we performed a graph-theoretical analysis to identify the relationship between nest distribution of the black-billed magpie Pica pica sericea and well-connected habitat patches. We analyzed 134 nest sites to determine environmental variables important for nesting magpies and identify habitat patches using a logistic model. Connectivity was estimated by Euclidean distance between habitat patches. A randomization procedure was implemented to verify the association between the nest distribution and the degree of habitat connectivity measured at multiple spatial scales. Preferred nesting habitat was areas close to the forest edge, containing more forest cover within 30 m of the nest. Connectivity analysis showed that the nest location was highly related to large clusters of habitat patches when patches are connected at large spatial scales. In addition, the nests in forest patches were close to grass patches with high connectivity. However, the size of habitat clusters adjacent to nests was much smaller than the average size of total habitat clusters across most scales, indicating that there are anthropogenic factors (e.g., effect of supplementary food in an urban matrix) affecting the distribution of magpie nests. Our results suggest that the distribution of magpie nests is related to landscape connectivity, which can be more clearly explained by taking into account the anthropogenic factors.     

Healthy River Habitats Fit for Wildlife: Deriving the Physical Dimension

Water quantity, water quality and physical structure determine the ability of a river's ecosystem to function and therefore its fitness for wildlife. This paper describes how a system for assessing the physical dimension of river-habitat quality has been developed in the UK. The paper also highlights (a) the main features and principles of 'river habitat survey', (b) how the method has already been used to help river management, and (c) some future uses, including the setting of habitat targets.     

An approach for greenway suitability analysis

Greenway analysis is designed to identify and measure the suitability of potential sites for greenway development. This evaluation can be regarded as an extremely difficult task due, in part, to the large number of criteria and large volume of data that may be required for the determination. The purpose of this paper is to present an approach to greenway analysis that integrates suitability analysis with geographic information system (GIS) technology to identify suitable sites for greenway development in the town of Prescott Valley, AZ, USA. This approach identified five major steps involved in the greenway analysis, these include: identification of land-use functions, spatial data collection, development of weighting values, data integration and analysis using GIS, and output evaluation. Land-use function identification, and weighting values were developed from a wide range of resources including the Prescott Valley General Plan, surveys, expert opinion and published literature. Spatial data were obtained from federal, state, and local agencies. Where specific data were not available, these data were collected from the site using inventory techniques. Three land-use functions were identified for the Prescott Valley study area, wildlife habitat, recreation, and riparian corridor. For each of these functions, four or five primary factors were determined. Additionally, for each factor, a land capability rating was established. Results of the surveys indicated that normalized weightings for the functions were 1.0 for wildlife habitat, 0.862 for recreation, and 0.653 for riparian corridor. Rankings for the primary factors within the functions ranged from a high of 0.468 to a low of 0.049, with the sum of weighting values for all factors within a function equal to 1.0. Land capability values for attributes within factors were set as high, moderate, low, and no capability. All data were integrated into a vector-based GIS software and a total of 14 coverages were created, Spatial analysis was performed using an overlay technique combining all factors within a function, and then by combining all resulting factor outputs to produce an overall greenway suitability analysis. The final analysis was then evaluated by a panel of experts to determine its accuracy and potential for use in a greenway development plan.     

Habitat translocation,rebuilding biodiversity and no net loss of biodiversity

Recent reviews of the priority policy options and research needs for nature conservation have identified the importance of new land use policies for restoring and rebuilding biodiversity including habitat banking, ‘no net loss’ of biodiversity, restoring flood plain functionality and ecologically coherent networks. Such policies are usually delivered by habitat creation, habitat restoration and habitat enhancement. Habitat translocation is another mechanism that can contribute to the delivery of these policies. Habitats can be restored and created by translocating ecological resources from sites as part of ongoing habitat management, where habitat diversity or early successional habitats are required. Habitat translocation can be used to salvage ecological features and their associated ecosystem services from sites for consented or permitted development projects. Critical success factors for translocation of aquatic and terrestrial habitats are identified. New policy issues and research topics relating to habitat translocation are proposed.     

Incorporating Ecology into Land Use Planning: The Songbirds' Case for Clustered Development

Throughout the American West, private open lands are being converted to a human-dominated residential landscape. This conversion is the foremost threat to wildlife habitat. Pitkin County, Colorado, home to the City of Aspen, is an internationally known example of this land use change. In this article, we describe patterns of development in Pitkin County from the late 1800s through the 1990s. Using field data, we estimate the overall loss of songbird habitat due to two types of residential development, clustered and dispersed, and then examine the types of vegetation most affected. From these data we demonstrate that clustered development, in contrast to dispersed development, can reduce the impact of exurban residential development on wildlife habitat.     

小有天园之布局结构与景境研究

小有天园选址于西子湖畔之南屏山麓,其园林营建与造园基址和外部环境有着极大的关联性。以小有天园的布局结构为研究切入点,结合文献、界画及已有复原成果,深入理解园林布局和视景营造,并探析基于此空间环境的景境氛围特征,得出以下结论:园林布局依山就势,园林和外部环境之间具有较高的流动性;景观视线组织以借景为目的,极大程度扩展了园林的视觉空间;景致营造利用基址现状,稍做经营,使景观富有层次;景境氛围体现出山林环境的影响。通过对小有天园的营造研究,以期完善自然山水园的营建理论,凸显杭州私家园林营造的地域特色,并为现代园林设计提供借鉴。     

城市栖息地营建导向的城市公园改造实践——以2019北京世界园艺博览会自然生态展示区景观工程为例

在全球生物多样性保护面临挑战的今天,城市公园绿地作为城市栖息地的重要载体,其生物多样性保护功能越来越受到关注.以2019北京世界园艺博览会自然生态展示区景观工程的设计与实践经验为例,基于国内外城市栖息地研究成果与实践方法,总结提出了以城市公园绿地为主的城市栖息地的营建路径,并针对该项目开展过程中影响绿地提升生物多样性功...     

野生动物栖息地适应性管理的国际经验及对中国国家公园的启示

对于多数珍稀、濒危野生动物的就地保护,不宜采用禁区式的保护形式,必须既满足主要保护对象的保护需求,又尽可能与人类活动相协调,因此需要适时、适地、适策的适应性管理。综述了野生动物栖息地适应性管理的概念和框架,分析了适应性资源管理、捕猎管理和影响管理3种类型,以保护地、非保护地2种典型模式进行案例分析,从原则、对象、体系和路径等方面提出了中国国家公园野生动物栖息地适应性管理框架,以及其在法律法规、规划规范、科研监测、多方合作上的应用,以期为《国家公园法》提供参考,为建立以国家公园为主体的自然保护地体系提供依据。     

城市公园——城市生物多样性契机——原生乡土植被覆盖城市指导原则

匀质化的城市化环境不断威胁着野生生物栖息地,同时也造成城市生物多样性的日益贫乏.而城市公园为城市化环境下生物多样性的提高打开了一扇窗.乡土植被的覆盖、小气候生境的多样、水体的连通性以及绿地牛念系统的网络化连接,将会显著改善城市公园的生物多样性.城市公园的规划设计过程中,应严格遵照生物多样性规划设计原则、遵循相关的生物多样性友好措施,着眼于长远,必将能改善生境,促进城市的可持续发展.     

The urban coastal zone of Southern California

Every parkland provides habitats for wildlife. Wildlife is frequently recognised as a recreational asset. A few ancient parks are of outstanding national or regional importance for the conservation of invertebrates and epiphytic lichens associated with old trees and dead wood. The perpetuation of suitable habitat is essential if this conservation interest is to be maintained.