by Orville Dyer, Ian MacKenzie, Alison Peatt, John Surgenor , Bryn White

1. Interior Grassland Species at Risk Recovery byOrville Dyer, Ian MacKenzie, Alison Peatt, John Surgenor, Bryn White Conservation Priority Analysis DRAFT

2. Conservation Priority Analysis • Why we need to prioritize • Methods • Results • Action Plan Recommendations

3. Conservation Priority Analysis • Bunchgrass BGC zone < 1% of BC’s total area • BG one of four zones of provincial conservation concern – The status of Biodiversity in BC (Austin 2008) • PP and IDF zones 2 of the other zones identified as a conservation concerns • Grasslands support more than 30% of species at risk in BC

4. 32 Ecosections with interior grasslands

5. Conservation Prioritization Develop a conservation assessment decision support process to: • set priorities for grassland species and ecosystem conservation in the BC interior • strategically focus limited resources on the most important, highest risk areas. • provide species and ecosystem information to support others interested in grassland management.

6. Conservation Prioritization • Need to identify which areas are most important • From a species perspective • From a risk/threat perspective • From a rarity perspective

7. Study Area • Used GCC, digital grassland layers • Identified interior Ecosections with grasslands

8. 32 Ecosections with interior grasslands

9. Methodology • Goals of Conservation Framework • Contribute to global efforts for species and ecosystem conservation • (Global Conservation) • Prevent species and ecosystems from becoming at risk • (Representation) • Maintain the diversity of native species and ecosystems • (Rarity)

10. Methodology Risk • Percent Habitat Loss • Percent of Grassland Area remaining as Crown Land

11. Methodology CF Goal 1 Species priority for Global Conservation CF Goal 3 Species priority for maintaining diversity CF Goal 2 Prevent species from becoming at risk: Integrate mapping and species data by Ecosection Risk (% habitat loss, % habitat remaining on Crown) Generate priorities for conservation action planning by Ecosection

12. Results Global Conservation CF Goal 1: Contribute to global efforts for species and ecosystem conservation • 34 species that are priority 1,2 or 3 in Goal 1 are associated with interior grasslands

13. Results Global Conservation • Sharp-tailed Grouse, Columbianus Subspecies • Lewis's Woodpecker • Preble’s Shrew

14. Results Global Conservation

15. Results Global Conservation

16. Results Global Conservation

18. Results - Representation • CF Goal 2: Prevent species and ecosystems from becoming at risk “Keeping common species common”

19. Rationale for approach • Data and mapping are incomplete for most CF species • especially common species and plants • Use habitat representation as a surrogate and assume most species will be ok if they have a reasonable amount of habitat

20. Results - Representation

22. Results - Rarity CF Goal 3: Maintain the diversity of native species and ecosystem

23. Rationale for approach • Species at risk are the highest priority for maintaining diversity • Habitat and location data is available for SARA listed species • It is not consistently available for red and blue listed species or ecosystems

24. Grassland Species Categories • Grassland DependentSpecies: species that depend on grasslands for a substantial portion of their lives (i.e. Tiger Salamander adults live in grassland habitats other than during the breeding season). • Grassland Matrix: species that do not depend directly on grasslands but occur in wetland, riparian, rock outcrop or open forest habitat within or immediately adjacent to mapped grasslands (i.e. Toothcup is a beach associated plant in the bunchgrass zone and its habitat is within meters of grasslands). • Partially Grassland Dependent: species that use grasslands but most of the population(s) use other habitats extensively and would not be eliminated if grasslands were destroyed. (i.e. Western Toads are found in grasslands but are found much more extensively in forested habitats. • Not a grassland species: species that do not depend on grasslands to a great degree (i.e. Williamson’s Sapsucker depends on old growth larch, ponderosa pine or aspen).

25. Results - Rarity • 49 SARA listed grassland species at risk (including grassland, matrix and partially grassland dependent species).

30. Daniella Rambaldini Photo

34. Conservation Risk by Ecosection Risk was examined in 2 ways, separately,then combined into a single rank • Percent grassland habitat lost in each Ecosection • Percent of grassland habitat in each Ecosection that remains on provincial Crown land Note – excluded areas with <2000ha historical grassland

35. Percent Loss

36. Percent Crown Land

37. Risk combined: % loss and % remaining on Crown

38. Priority EcosectionsRepresentation, Global and Rarity Conservation, Risk

43. Recommendations • Develop and implement detailed action plansfor 13 Ecosections. These Ecosections include 91% of interior grasslands and all Ecosections that were ranked priority 1 or 2 in any category: global, rarity, representation, risk

44. Establish coordinated teams to help develop and implement action plans for these Ecosections (note that some are already established (i.e. soscp, occp, ekcp)

45. 3. Use a fine filter approach for the remaining ecosections that have low priorities for representation, species at risk and risk