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- Review historial pattern

- Study existing patterns

- Identify locations with good connectivity

- Find most efficient means to reconnect the landscape (greatest benefits for wildlife)

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Conservation corridors exist at a variety of scales.

Regional scale:

- Large, loosely defined areas that connect large wildlife preserves/areas of high biodiversity

- Provide for long-term health of populations and ecosystems

- More important for larger, more mobile animals

- Regional corridors are narrower versions of reserves

- Preserve biodiversity by:

providing opportunities for wildlife to adapt to environmental stress/change

supporting genetic health (occasional immigration/emigration between populations)

preserving opportunities for seasonal migrations for breeding/birthing/feeding

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- A specific set of recommendations is needed when designing each individual conservation practice
- Most conservation corridor practices can be grouped into either grass dominant or woody species dominant structures
- A planted grass/forb corridor is a linear landscape element consisting primarily or exclusively of herbaceous vegetation.  Most are relatively narrow in comparison to other corridor types
- Purposes for planted grass/forb corridors: Wildlife habitat; Grassed waterways and vegetated ditches safely convey water through fields; Manage snow; Terraces and filter strips reduce erosion and filter sediments and chemicals from runoff; Reduce wind erosion; Field borders and buffers reduce competition from adjacent woodlands and provide space for maneuvering equipment; Provide commercial products

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Structurally diverse patches and corridors > simple ones.

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Structurally diverse patches and corridors > simple ones.

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Zone 1- Closest to water and consists of water-loving tree and shrub species. Willows used frequently because of their fast growth and tendency to sprout from the roots.

Zone 2- Starts at edge of zone 1 and extends further upland. Planted with slower-growing hardwood tree species interspersed with shrubs.

Zone 3- Grass filter strip on the upland side of zone 2. Dominated by tall residual grasses like switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). Zone is essential for agricultural settings- crops next to streams.

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To enhance wildlife habitat:

- Make corridor as wide as possible
design a vertical and

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Several reverse are better than one reserve patch

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Patches are together rather than separated
- edge effects are reduced
- diversity is increased

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Traditional criteria
-Orientation of the windbreak is crucial
-The area protected by windbreak is usually 10 times the nature height of the tallest tree. This has implications in the height, density and length of the windbreak.
-Choice of plant species are based on the desired function.

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The matrix is the area surrounding a corridor between reserves. One must be careful when tending to the matrix in order to prevent the inhibition of certain species due to human actions. For example mowing the grass at certain times can reduce the habitat for pheasants. Well-planned matrices and corridors will encourage organism growth, but without this there can be disastrous consequences.

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Habitat: Introduce tall, persistent grasses for nesting birds
Manage vegetation to maintain vigour - timing of mowing must not coincide with nesting/brooding
Farming must cause minimal disturbance
Maximise corridor width - reduces edge effects
Connectivity is key
Introduce woody corridors

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- Connected reserves are better than separated reserves as they enhance the habitat, conduit, filter/barrier and source functions of corridors
1. increase habitats - species can access larger areas hence increasing number, sizes and viability of a population.
2. Presence of conduits - species can move according to changes/disturbance in an environment
3. Source functions - patches connected by corridors are more likely to serve as a source than separate reserves hence adding individuals to the population

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Two or more corridors between reserves are better than only one.

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Two or more corridors between reserves are better than only one.

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- animals should have multiple routes through which to travel from one nature reserve to the next as they may not recognise specific ones, etc

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-Riparian corridors are composed of streams and the vegetation found on either side of them.
-Undisturbed, includes entire floodplain and a portion of the upland
-Width is extremely variable; depending on width of stream, flow characteristics and topography
-Contain large amounts of woody vegetation.
-Most of the resources needed for a species to survive are located in and adjacent to the corridor.
-Create shade to lower water temperatures and improve habitat for aquatic organisms.
-Provide a source of detritus and large woody debris for aquatic organisms and habitat for wildlife.
-Reduce excess sediment, organic material, nutrients and pesticides in surface runoff and reduce excess nutrients and other chemicals in shallow ground water flow.

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Gap Analysis
- Overview of potential distribution and conservation status of wildlife species in a region or watershed.
- Based on correlations between vegetation composition and wildlife distributions
Method of Approach
1.Determine species in region
2. Collect and compile habitat relationship and occurrence data for species
3. Create a map of where the habitats occur in regions based on existing vegetation
4. Overlay the wildlife habitat data with the habitat map to determine areas of rich species diversity

Species Richness Map
- Obtained from GAP highlighting areas for rich diversity in wildlife species -- "hot spots" for biodiversity

GAP Map
- Compares the geographic location of biodiversity hot spots with the location of areas managed primarily for long-term maintenance of native populations

Watershed Scale
- Width of corridors for wildlife in watersheds as travel lanes linking various habitat resources within their home range
- Needs to detailed and include information such as:
1. Soils
2. Vegetation types
3. Air basins
4. Topography
5. Hydrology
6. Land use etc

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Conservation plan & practice scale (p. 13)

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Conservation plan & practice scale (p. 13)

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-  This is the scale at which most conservation planning and technical assistance programs operate (all of this is considered before the conservation area is set up)
-  Most conservation plans are drawn at a 1" = 660' scale.  For small areas, a scale of 1" = 330' is typically used
- METHOD OF SCALING: Patches and corridors at the conservation plan scale will be inventoried and verified in the field. In some states, initial mapping of these features is typically done by hand on graph paper or on photocopies of
soil survey aerial photos.
- From this data, a very powerful GIS (Geographic Information System) database can be formed, and these maps will show the location of all conservation corridors in the landscape, their age, condition, wildlife species known to use them, etc.
- Important general types of information for conservation plan and practice scale maps include: Soils; Vegetation types and condition (health); Topography; Hydrology; Migration and dispersal routes; Special areas (winter range, etc.); Special features (snags, etc.); Land use; Land cover types, including crops; Roads and highways; Land ownership; Locations of existing conservation practices; Aspect; Airflow pattern

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- large reserves/patches are better than small reverse as they usually capture a preserve a greater diversity and quality of habitats.
Advantages of large reserves:
1. wildlife species with large home ranges are more likely ro survive in large reserves.
2. Larger population sizes are possible - hence decreasing the likelihood of local extinction due to disaster or inbreeding
3. Diversity is increased

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1. Continuous corridors are better than fragmented
corridors.
- Conduit functions: Gaps in corridors disrupt movement, especially for interior-dwelling species.
- Stepping stones: Series of small patches between two larger patches can serve as a 􏰓stepping stone􏰔 corridor if the distance between patches is not too far
- Filter/Barrier functions: Gaps in an otherwise solid corridor seriously diminish the effectiveness of the corridor as a filter or barrier.
2. Wider corridors are better than narrow corridors
- Habitat functions: Wider corridors reduce area effects and edge effects within the corridor, allowing broader range of species to use the corridor.
- Conduit functions: Wider corridors reduce edge effects for individuals and populations moving through them.
- Filter/Barrier functions: Wider corridors are more effective barriers to movement across them.
- Source functions: Wider corridors are more likely to act as a population source.

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-AIM: to establish and maintain self-sustaining wildlife populations at levels in dynamic equilibrium with the ecological, social and economic values of the human community.
-  Landscapes consist of patches, corridors and a matrix, and the specific arrangement of these define habitats for wildlife species that inhabit or migrate through a landscape
- Concepts for watershed scale: core reserves (nodes), buffer zones, linkages
- Noss and Harris observed high conservation value occur as nodes in the landscape, which can exist at varying scales.
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3. Natural connectivity should be maintained or restored.
- Essential in maintaining species diversity and population viability within a watershed
4. Introduced connectivity should be studied carefully.
- Ensure that one is not linking to historically disconnected patches. --> could result in the loss of such adaptations