A spatial framework formanaging Hawaii’s aquatic resources:
Dana [email protected]
Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University
Improved conservation and restoration opportunities in a changing world
www.fishhabitat.org
Protect, restore and enhance nation’s aquatic communities through partnershipsObjectives• Conduct an objective
condition analysis of fish habitats
• Identify priority habitats for conservation, enhancement, or restoration
Condition index
Good
Poor
Landscape-scale disturbances• Agriculture, urban land use Roads• Former plantations Dams• Ditch intersections, length Quarries• Injection wells TRI Sites• NPDES sites
2010 Hawaiian River Condition Assessment: Built from a landscape approach Landscape
factors
Habitat
Biology
Reach Local catchment
Reach
– Local and network catchments delineated using ArcHydro
– Confluence to confluence reaches– Breaks implemented
based on elevation
– Assessment data and other variables have been attributed to each spatial unit
• National Hydrography Dataset (1:24,000 NHD)
Network catchmentReach
Spatial framework and database
MokuAhupua’a
Local catchments and reaches, NHD
Network catchments
Flexibility and benefits of a spatial framework
Island
Island
“Assessment of coral and fish disease in three priority watersheds and their relationship to land-based pollution loads,” R. Oram, G. Aeby, T. Work
Current applicationsNFHAP coastal condition assessment for Hawaii
Plans to compare results with Hawaii Watershed Atlas
Plans to refine the assessment
• Integrate additional landscape-scale disturbance data• Golf courses• Refined fragmentation statistics• Downstream disturbances measures
• “Calibrate” scores using biological dataTarget reach
• “Managing the Nations Fish Habitat at Multiple Spatial Scales in a Rapidly Changing Climate” • USGS-funded project to determine vulnerability of
fish habitat to projected changes in climate and land use
• Project builds on elements of current condition assessment
• Goal: Conduct a similar type of assessment in Hawaii, using current conditions scores as a base• Consider freshwater, marine and terrestrial systems• “Integrated” vulnerability assessment• Currently working with PICCC, USGS to coordinate a
planning meeting
Next step
Thank you!• Gordon Smith• Dan Polhemus• Bob Nishimoto• Glenn Higashi• Jim Parham• Malie Beach Smith• Gary Whelan• Doug Beard• Andrea Ostroff• NFHAP Science and Data Committee
• Gary Whelan (MDNRE), Doug Beard (USGS), Andrea Ostroff (USGS)
• NFHAP Science and Data Committee
“More people working for more fish”
Disturbance variables:Urban and point source
Disturbance variables:Former plantation, fragmentation, ditches, agriculture, 303D listings
Reach
• Summarizes amounts, types, and locations of natural and anthropogenic system influences
• Integrates data and results of other studies across different scales
Benefits of a spatial framework
• Allows decision makers to easily compare regions, identifying priority areas for protection, enhancement, or restoration
• Establishes a consistent reporting framework
A Hierarchical Spatial Framework and Database for the National River Fish Habitat Condition Assessment, In Review. L. Wang, D. Infante, P. Esselman, A. Cooper, D. Wu, W. Taylor, D. Beard, G. Whelan, and A. Ostroff