Project Introduction

Analysis of Habitat Fragmentation in New York State

Introduction:
This study will aim to classify habitat fragmentation levels for New York State habitats with regards to how fragmentation affects habitats for specific groups of species based on their range sizes and movement capabilities. The creation of GIS layers showing habitat fragmentation for specific species will be valuable to wildlife conservation efforts as it will help analysts to understand where larger, more suitable habitat fragments for a certain species are located in New York State.Fragmentation must be classified with regards to specific groups of species because causes of habitat  fragmentation vary for each species depending on their movement capabilities. One example of this is seen with a small two-lane road, a common land obstacle that creates fragmentation of habitat, which is a barrier for certain smaller species like frogs or salamanders, but it is not really an obstacle for larger species like white-tailed deer and other large mammals. Therefore, the criteria used to classify fragmentation of habitats must be redefined to cater to a species movement abilities.

Objectives:

• Analyze how habitat fragmentation affects different types of species within New York State.

• Development of a map showing layers of varying degrees of habitat fragmentation in relation to habitat type, human impact, and species of focus.
• Determine a broad definition of fragmented habitat for New York State.

Methodology:

Criteria used to determine fragmentation for a given area in NYS will be collected from researching the metadata of various GIS layers used to show habitat fragmentation levels per area. The criteria will also be created with habitat range data for the coyote based on current land use and habitat layers that are found to support coyote populations. Coyote sightings and movement data will also need to be collected to better understand which habitats are proving more suitable for coyote populations. Next, the new criteria needed to better classify fragmentation coyotes through further research and observations of current GIS layers. A spatial analysis of the targeted data will be used to produce GIS layers showing true habitat fragmentation levels affecting coyote habitats based on the newly formed criteria. The spatial analysis will most likely consists of finding where different land-use, habitat type, and coyote movement layer intersect to determine where suitable coyote communities are present and absent.   

Deliverable:

GIS shapefiles with layers showing fragmentation impact levels on specific habitats for specific types of species. Will be used to develop future habitat fragmentation research questions.

Spatial analysis data for future research.

Data Sources:

ESRI Data and Maps for ArcGIS

GIS.ny.gov

http://www.mrlc.gov/

Literature Cited:

" Ecoregions of North America." Ecoregion Maps and GIS Resources. US Environmental Protection Agency, 21 Feb. 2016. Web. 10 Mar. 2016.

Heilman, Gerald E., James R. Strittholt, Nicholas C. Slosser, and Dominick A. Dellasala. "Forest Fragmentation of the Conterminous United States: Assessing Forest Intactness through Road Density and Spatial Characteristics." BioScience52.5 (2002): 411. Web. 10 Mar. 2016.

Robinson, G. R., R. D. Holt, M. S. Gaines, S. P. Hamburg, M. L. Johnson, H. S. Fitch, and E. A. Martinko. "Diverse and Contrasting Effects of Habitat Fragmentation."Science 257.5069 (1992): 524-26. Web. 10 Mar. 2016.