Biodiversity Guide - The Intertwine

egional conservation strategybiodiversity guideChapter 8 Major Categories of Strategiesbe retained so that adjoining properties do notflood. Onsite or watershed hydrology might havebeen altered. Neighbors may not cooperate, orsome elements that are inconsistent with historicalconditions may need to retained for social oreconomic reasons. Despite these sorts of limitations,in most cases meaningful enhancementand restoration can still occur if they are carefullyplanned and executed.Forces of nature, climate change, andunknown elements of a site can alter even thebest-planned design. Climate modeling suggeststhat, in this region, temperatures and theamount of winter precipitation will increase,while summer precipitation will decrease. Somenatural areas may prove to be sensitive to changingclimate because they depend on precipitationas their primary hydrologic input (although thetiming of the predominant rainfall is predicted toremain somewhat consistent, mostly falling fromNovember through March). As a result, monitoring,adaptive management, and long-term maintenanceare as important as the initial planning ofsuccessful projects.A typical restoration project involves thefollowing:1. Site visits and research. In the early stages ofbrainstorming, take a trip around the watershedand subbasin. Look for potential reference sitesthat model the desired future conditions for therestoration project and identify similar types ofprojects within the subbasin and region. Learnwhat worked, what changes were necessary, andwhat might be done differently if the project werebeing done today.2. Planning. Once there is a general concept forthe project, define specific measures of success.Design a very detailed plan to achieve those measuresof success and develop a task list, timeline,and budget. Expect to experience unexpectedresults and delays and be prepared to adapt yourplan accordingly.3. Long-term view. Restoration is a long-termcommitment. Developing the desired future conditionis likely to take years or decades, or possiblyeven centuries. Make sure that your organizationhas the long-term staffing or volunteers andthe funding needed to stay involved for the longterm and ensure a truly successful project.Although sometimes expensive and usually challenging,restoration and enhancement of habitatcan be essential in building and maintaininga healthy ecosystem in the greater Portland-Vancouver region. Restoration and enhancementcan directly improve habitat quality, return andrestore missing ecological functions and processes,remove and mitigate for existing stressors,connect isolated habitats, and improve regionalconnectivity, thereby improving our region’sbiodiversity, water quality, wildlife habitat, andresilience to climate change.Conservation in Developed AreasIn the greater Portland-Vancouver region,developed lands are all lands except natural areas,waterways, wetlands, biodiversity corridors,working agricultural lands, and working forests.The developed landscape includes industrial,commercial, and residential properties, developedparks, schoolyards, golf courses, cemeteries, airports,and the streetscape. The intensity of developmentranges from skyscrapers in downtownPortland to suburban and rural neighborhoods insurrounding communities.Nearly 22 percent of the land within thegreater Portland-Vancouver region is covered byresidential, commercial, and industrial developmentand roadways. Developed areas includeactive open spaces such as ball fields, schoolyards, and cemeteries, which can provide someof the ecological functions that natural areas do.With more ecological foresight we might havecarefully nested our developed areas among aninterconnected system of natural features in a waythat prioritizes the function of natural systems.However, today’s developed lands are situatedsuch that remnant natural areas are highlyfragmented, the tree canopy is only a fraction ofhistorical levels, and historical streams, wetlands,and floodplains have been degraded, filled in, orcovered over. In addition, our urban landscapesare replete with an array of wildlife hazards thatincludes buildings, powerlines, roadways, freeroamingdomestic animals, and toxins. Despitethese challenges, a huge diversity of wild animals,both migrant and resident populations—includingsome highly imperiled species—make use ofour developed landscapes for some or all of theirlifecycle. In addition, nearly 80 percent of the U.S.population now resides in cities, creating a cultureof conservation that will depend on engagingpeople in wildlife stewardship where they live,work and play.Developed are have a vital role to play inpreserving regional biodiversity and protectingenvironmental health. When effectively managed,developed lands increase the urban landscape’soverall permeability for wildlife, enhance thefunctionality of natural areas and biodiversitycorridors, and engage the public in wildlife stewardship.When we choose to integrate nature intoall aspects of the built environment, developedlands have the potential to do the following:n Increase the permeability of the overall urbanlandscape for migrating wildlife populationsn Reduce direct and indirect impacts on naturalareasn Reduce hazards to wildlifen Protect critical resident wildlife populationsn Support equity and community healthn Foster stewardship and communityengagement in conservationThe desired future condition for developed areasis one in which nature is incorporated into thebuilt environment at all spatial scales—from thesmall urban home lot to towering skyscrapersand expansive industrial parks. We envision adeveloped landscape where each developmentand redevelopment project incorporates elementsthat provide habitat and reduce wildlife hazards,where green infrastructure meets habitat andbiodiversity objectives (among others), and wherethe public is actively engaged and supported instewardship of native plants and wildlife in theiryards, neighborhoods, business districts, andcommunities.This vision of the future condition of developedlands acknowledges that there is no cleardividing line between the built environment andthe natural environment. Native plants and wildanimals do not recognize our arbitrary boundaries,and the impacts of our developed landscapesextend far beyond their actual footprint. Inshort, we all have a role to play in the protection,restoration, and management of our native plantcommunities and local wildlife populations.Strategic ActionsThe Regional Conservation Strategy identifies thefollowing strategies to ensure that the full biodiversitypotential of the built landscape is realizedand that detrimental impacts on wildlife areminimized. These include the following:n Increase the permeability of the developedlandscape for wildlife populations by integratingthe built and natural environments. The integrationof green infrastructure at all scales ofdevelopment activity can dramatically increasethe ability of wildlife to traverse the urban landscapeand meet their needs at different phases oftheir lifecycle. Examples include habitat-focusedecoroofs, street trees, backyard naturescaping,wildlife crossings on roadways, and bank restorationat river industrial sites.n Identify and manage at-risk species that havecritical populations residing on the built landscape.A number of at-risk species use the built landscapefor some portion of their lifecycle. Examplesinclude (1) the tens of thousands of migrat-159158