Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU

Description

The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research into the relationship of the imperiled monarch butterfly to patch- and landscape-level characteristics. Prioritization of conservation effort is essential in todayâ¿¿s resource-limited environment. Given the immediate and serious need for conservation action, the fact that many entities are engaging in conservation, and the fact that the seeds needed for restoration of monarch habitat often have limited availability, it is important that conservation actions are undertaken strategically. This means that landscape-level considerations, at many spatial scales, must be included in the selection of areas to restore. The Monarch Conservation Science Partnership has identified regional and land-cover types to target. However, there is still little understanding of the importance of connectivity, patch size, edge effects, and surrounding land-cover categories on monarchsâ¿¿ ability to find a habitat patch, decisions to remain in a patch, and egg and larval survival. This research will address these gaps in our knowledge, and inform ongoing monarch conservation efforts by adding empirical findings to previous attempts to address these questions using movement models with limited basis in data. Additionally, the location of this study in the St. Croix WMD takes advantage of ongoing FWS habitat restoration work, and will be broadly applicable to the Upper Midwestern region that is key to the monarch population.

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