A spatial decision support system to identify species-specific critical habitats based on size and accessibility using US GAP data

The Gap Analysis Program (GAP) is a nationwide effort to find areas of suitable habitat in the US, which if protected from habitat degradation, may help to preserve the native animal and plant biodiversity. In recent years, the GAP protocols used to analyze habitat data have become more scale and species dependent. This research describes the creation of a Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) that applies species-specific parameters of Individual Area Requirement (IAR) (Vos et al., 2001), Minimum viable population (MVP), and Reach (Allen et al., 2001) to determine critical habitats for animal species, thereby eliminating those areas that are effectively unusable because of size or inaccessibility. The utility of the SDSS, and the three algorithms contained within it (i.e., core area, core area growth and aggregate), is demonstrated by creating distribution maps of usable habitat for five species (i.e., alligator, black bear, bobcat, gray fox and wild turkey) commonly found in the state of Arkansas. This knowledge can then be used to guide and prioritize conservation efforts towards protecting usable, and often critical, habitats.