PRIORITIZING RESTORATION AND CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITIES IN THE GREAT LAKES

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.