Maritime Chaparral Maritime Chaparral Distribution of Maritime - - PDF document

1

Maritime Chaparral Maritime Chaparral and Adaptive Management and Adaptive Management

Michael Vasey Michael Vasey San Francisco State University San Francisco State University

Distribution of Maritime Chaparral Distribution of Maritime Chaparral

Pygmy Forest Chaparral Mendocino Baja Maritime Chaparral

Maritime Maritime Arctostaphylos Arctostaphylos Taxa Taxa

66% 66% 70% 70% 55% 55% 33 33 50 50 45 45 64 64 54 54 98 98

Maritime Maritime Local Local Endemics Endemics Local Local Endemics Endemics Maritime Maritime Species Species All All Species Species Maritime Maritime Taxa Taxa All All Taxa Taxa

Wells 2000 Manzanitas of California and the World Torrey Pines State Park, San Diego Co. Salt Point State Park, Sonoma Co.

"A land ethic, then, reflects the existence of an ecological conscience, and this in turn reflects a conviction of individual responsibility for the health of the land. Health is the capacity of the land for self-renewal. Conservation is our effort to understand and preserve this capacity..."A ldo L eopold, Sand County A lmanac 1949

Arctostaphylos imbricata San Bruno Mountain Arctostaphylos edmundsii Big Sur Coast

Why is it difficult to understand Why is it difficult to understand and preserve the capacity for and preserve the capacity for ecosystems to self ecosystems to self-

• renew?

renew?

Ecosystems are: Ecosystems are:

• Dynamic

Dynamic

• Historic

Historic

• Complex

Complex

• Open

Open

= Intrinsically Uncertain; i.e. Ecosystems are not only more complex than we think, but more complex than we CAN think

Planning Implementation Evaluation Monitoring LEARNING DOING

Adaptive Management Cycle

2

Planning Implementation Evaluation

• 1. What experimental

and observational data pertains to your system; i.e. what do we know or at least think we know?

Adaptive Management Cycle Begins with Assessing What is Known

Odion and Tyler. 2002. Are long fire-free periods needed to maintain the endangered fire-recruiting shrub Arctostaphylos morroensis (E ricaceae). Conservation Ecology 6 (2):4

Elkhor Slough Monterey Bay Pajaro River 1 4 5 2 3 7 6 121 45' 121 37'30" 36 52'30" 36 45' n

2 4 6 8 Kilometers Present extent of Arctostaphylos pajaroensis

Van Dyke, Holl and Griffin. Maritime chaparral community transition in the absence of fire.

A B C D E

• A. New Burn
• B. 1 Year Burn
• C. 3 Year Burn

D.20 Year Burn

• E. 40+ Year Burn

Santa Monica Mountains Santa Monica Mountains Santa Monica Mountains

3

Planning Implementation

• 2. Develop a

conceptual model and identify questions

• 1. What experimental

and observational data pertains to your system; i.e. what do we know or at least think we know?

Adaptive Management Cycle Then Develops a Conceptual Model to Frame Questions Integrated Regional Wetland Monitoring Program (IRWM) Integrated Conceptual Model IRWM Wetland Vegetation Conceptual Model

• 3. Identify issues and

stakeholders, set goals, design projects to test hypotheses, begin with the end in mind Implementation

• 2. Develop a

conceptual Model and identify questions

• 1. What experimental

and observational data pertains to your system; i.e. what do we know or at least think we know?

Adaptive Management Cycle Then Moves into a Planning Process Elzinga et al. 2001 Monitoring Plant and Animal Populations What are the best metrics? What is the best way to analyze the data? A & B A & B – – Observation Observation C C – – Trial and Error Trial and Error D D – – Passive Adaptive Passive Adaptive Management Management E & F E & F – – Active Adaptive Active Adaptive Management Management

Planning Implementation Evaluation Monitoring LEARNING DOING

Adaptive Management Cycle

4

Summary Summary

• There is a tremendous amount that we still

don’t know! Conserving maritime chaparral is a daunting task yet failure to conserve maritime chaparral risks a vital part of California’s natural heritage

• Coordinate efforts of academia, agencies,

and the public to generate better understanding of the dynamics of maritime chaparral (build conceptual model)

• Use management activities to stimulate

large scale experimentation (adaptive management) that builds understanding

• Conduct more experimental work on

maritime chaparral; e.g. seed banks and seedling survival, and devlop predictive models that can be tested in the field

• Focus on restoring diversity and consider

multiple species and life histories in an experimental context

• Be opportunistic! Learning must have as

high a priority as doing. Cultivate a land ethic throughout the community

• Mt. Tamalpais, Marin County