BLM REA COP 2010 Near-Term Aquatic Intactness

This dataset provides an estimate of near-term aquatic intactness based on a logic model that integrates land use, road impacts, and hydrologic impacts using a fuzzy logic model. A powerpoint version of the model is available at: Vector\Conservation_Elements\Aquatic\Ecosystem\Documentation\COP_AI_logic_models.pptx Aquatic intactness is high in areas where hydrologic alterations (from reservoirs and diversions) is low, lower land areas are affected by urban or agriculture, and road impacts (from density and road / stream intersections) is low. Caution is warranted in interpreting this dataset because it provides a single estimate of aquatic intactness based on available data. The degree of aquatic intactness likely varies for a particular species or conservation element, and may depend on additional factors or thresholds not included in this model. Instead, this model should be taken as a general measure of intactness that can serve as a template for evaluating across many species at the ecoregion scale, and provides a framework within which species-specific parameters can be incorporated for more detailed analyses. Furthermore, the watershed scale used in this analysis may be too coarse for evalauting relationships between landscape factors and conservation elements; we recommend that future assessments consider finer-grained landscapes (e.g., HUC6 watersheds or 4KM grids).