PRIORITIZING RESTORATION AND CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITIES IN THE GREAT LAKES

PRIORITIZING RESTORATION AND CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITIES IN THE GREAT LAKES

2010

A key lesson from terrestrial conservation science is that maps of stressors and valued resources are one important starting point for developing coherent restoration and conservation strategies. Management efforts are tied to specific places, therefore we need to know the spatial distribution of human impacts in order to guide effective actions. Moreover, numerous types of threats often affect the same location, calling for analyses that integrate multiple stressors. Here, we outline the Great Lakes Environmental Assessment and Mapping Project (GLEAM), which seeks to merge GIS layers representing every major category of threats to the Great Lakes, ranging from climate change to land-based pollution to exotic species. By synthesizing this information into a single map of cumulative threat levels across the basin, we will provide a new tool to guide management efforts. Additional comparisons between the spatial distribution of cumulative threats and priority habitats, species of concern, and ecosystem services are proceeding concurrently. This effort, modeled upon recent global threat analyses for marine waters and rivers, will facilitate prioritizing restoration and conservation actions throughout the Great Lakes region.

Allan, J. D.
McIntyre, P. B.
Halpern, B.
Boyer, G.
Buchsbaum, A.
Burton, A.
Chadderton, W. L.
Ciborowski, Jan J. H.
Doran, P.
Eder, T.
Hecky, R.
Infante, D.
Johnson, L.
Lodge, D.
Read, J. G
Rutherford, E.
Sowa, S.
Steinman, A.
Joseph, C.
Fenner, J.

U of MI
U of MI
National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis
SUNY-College of Environmental Science and Forestry
National Wildlife Federation
U of MI
The Nature Conservancy, Lansing
The Nature Conservancy, Lansing
Great Lakes Commission
U of M- Duluth
MI State University
U of M- Duluth
University of Notre Dame
Michigan Sea Grant
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab
The Nature Conservancy
Annis Water Resources Institute
U of MI
U of MI

Advancing the Science of Limnology and Oceanography

Water Use & Availability

GLEAMS
G.L.E.A.M.S.
water restoration & protection
water restoration and protection
water restorations & protections
water restorations and protections
stressors
stressor
Great Lakes
ecosystem restoration
social impact
social impacts

2010-2019

No

Public Domain

Minnesota Water Research Digital Library