AUTHORS: Josh Bruegge, University of Missouri; Jodi Whittier, University of Missouri; Chris Rice, Missouri Department of Conservation; Mike Leahy, Missouri Department of Conservation
ABSTRACT: Conservation networks consisting of lands that are protected from anthropogenic disturbances are the backbone of biodiversity conservation. Traditionally, conservation networks have prioritized the protection of terrestrial ecosystems, and many aquatic ecosystems are only protected incidentally. Missouri is home to an exceptionally diverse suite of aquatic communities across multiple distinct physiographic subregions, ranking 7th in native freshwater fish diversity and 11th in native crayfish diversity. However, many of these unique aquatic communities are underrepresented or absent from Missouri’s current conservation network. We are conducting an aquatic gap analysis to inventory the current protections for aquatic communities across the conservation network and identify priorities for potential inclusion in Missouri’s conservation network. We applied the Freshwater Conservation Network Prioritization Framework using the software Zonation to identify priority stream catchments at the Ecological Drainage Unit scale. This framework incorporates species-specific distribution models and vulnerability weighting along with upstream watershed connectivity metrics and a masking layer of the current conservation network into a prioritization algorithm to rank stream catchments. This process optimizes the selection of catchments to maximize biodiversity conservation in areas of high ecological integrity that are complementary to protected areas within the existing conservation network.
