Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Basin CESU

Description

The Western Ecological Research Center of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is offering a funding opportunity to a Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU) partner for the ¿Spatial modeling of desert tortoise habitat in the Mojave Desert¿. This project is aimed at identifying and mapping prospective recipient and control habitats for the translocation of Mojave desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii), based on selection criteria (e.g. suitable habitat, depleted population density, distance from threats, etc.). The CESU partner and USGS will compile available natural resource and physical datasets in order to evaluate spatial models designed to determine appropriate places to translocate displaced desert tortoises from Department of Defense (DoD) lands to appropriate private or public lands in the vicinity. This modeling effort will be critical in informing planning decisions regarding sensitive species management and conservation efforts. This work will be coordinated with groups such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and The Habitat Conservancy, among others, as appropriate. The modeling will require GIS information that is geospatially rectified portraying biological, physical, and social data layers associated with key habitat variables for Mojave desert tortoises. Quality assurance and control (QA/QC) and metadata analysis will be an important part of preparing data layers for use in the analyses and for comparison with current work. Together, will acquire and use these data layers to explore interdisciplinary problem-solving at multiple scales in an ecosystem context regionally in the Mojave Desert. This project will work in collaboration between governmental scientists and the academic community for the benefit of decision-support by resource managers.

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