Whither the Rangeland?: Protection and conversion in California's Rangeland ecosystems.

ABSTRACT: Land use change in rangeland ecosystems is pervasive throughout the western United States with widespread ecological, social and economic implications. In California, rangeland habitats have high biodiversity value, provide significant habitat connectivity and form the foundation for a number of ecosystem services. To comprehensively assess the conservation status of these habitats, we analyzed the extent and drivers of habitat loss and the degree of protection against future loss across a 13.5 M ha study area in California. We analyzed rangeland conversion between 1984 and 2008 using time series GIS data and classified resulting land uses with aerial imagery. In total, over 195,000 hectares of rangeland habitats were converted during this period. The majority of conversions were to reside

SUBMITTER: Cameron DR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4139198 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature