Title: Fish, Wildlife & Biodiversity - Conservation Assessment & Prioritization System

Project Leader: Scott Jackson

Project Overview

Massachusetts is the third most densely populated state in the nation. The rate of land consumption for residential development is steadily increasing far out of proportion to its population growth. Haphazard growth has impacted water resources, natural resource-based enterprises, open space, wildlife habitat, and community character.Nearly half the state's communities lack professional planning staff, while volunteer boards struggle with increasing levels of responsibility, liability, time demands and public mistrust. The Fish, Wildlife & Biodiversity Conservation Project addresses these concerns through related initiatives that focus on habitat loss and fragmentation, establishing priorities forecological restoration and mitigating development impacts onwildlife and ecosystems.

The Conservation Assessment and Prioritization System (CAPS) - CAPS is a computer software program and an approach to prioritizing land for conservation that provides an objective, dynamic, and flexible tool to support decision-making for land conservation, land management, project review and permitting to protect habitat and biodiversity.

Activity Summary - 2012

Continue development of CAPS Software and related tools (1)

Critical Linkages Research Project (1)

Interpret and apply CAPS results and extend CAPS analysis to additional areas of Massachusetts (9)

Revise and Enhance MassCAPS Web Site (1)

Serve on Graduate Research Committees (2)

Wetlands Assessment and Monitoring Methods: Research on Forested Wetlands(1)

Workshops on the results and use of CAPS analyses (8)

Educational contacts

Adult Contacts

Youth Contacts

In Person

272

0 Indirect Contacts (Print, Web, etc…)

2205

0

Narrative Summary - 2012

The Conservation Assessment and Prioritization System (CAPS) serves as the centerpiece of the state’s comprehensive wetlands monitoring and assessment program and a potential model for use at the regional scale. The ‘Indices of Biological Integrity’ developed via CAPS was incorporated into mitigation conditions for large transportation projects as part of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection(MassDEP) wetlands permitting processes. Maps based on CAPS assessments are integrated into MassDEPs approach for protecting wildlife habitat during wetlands permitting by requiring greater scrutiny of projects that take place in ‘Important Habitat.’ In the past year we posted on the web site Index of Ecological Integrity(IEI) maps and maps depicting DEP designed “Important Habitat” for every city and town in Massachusetts. CAPS is now a core element in the North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative program administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Since results of the MA statewide CAPS assessment were posted in early 2012 there have been 716 files downloaded from the web site, including:

54 downloads of the CAPS 2011 Report
36 downloads of the standard statewide results
19 downloads of the basic statewide results
18 downloads of statewide data on MassDEP Important Habitat
12 downloads of statewide IEI data
577 downloads of town maps depicting either MassDEP Important Habitat or IEI

Collaborating Organizations

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection

Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management

Massachusetts Division of Fish and Game

Massachusetts Highway Department

The Nature Conservancy

United States Environmental Protection Agency