1: Conservation of biological diversity

To identify biologically significant areas, as defined by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), that are experiencing fragmentation due mainly to human disturbance (roads, development). The CDFW has ranked habitat types across the state of California based on a set af factors including their species richness, uniqueness, rarity, endemism, and vulnerability. The Fire Resource Assessment Program’s 2015 Assessment is calling the types with the highest ranks “biologically significant areas”. This indicator will measure the fragmentation occurring on these areas due to road and housing density.

To identify forest and rangeland vegetation types that are experiencing fragmentation due mainly to human disturbance (roads, development). Fragmentation results in spatial discontinuity of habitats that affect species occupancy, reproduction and survival. It can be difficult to measure because of its scale-dependency. In this case, fragmentation would be measured based on road and housing density.

This indicator provides information on the extent to which forests are being fragmented over time by human activities and natural processes. Fragmentation may lead to the isolation and loss of species and gene pools, degraded habitat quality, and a reduction in the forest’s ability to sustain the natural processes necessary to maintain ecosystem health.

This indicator is defined as the breaking up or loss of connectivity of rangeland or of a rangeland cover type. Fragmentation has been shown to impact plant and animal species and ecosystem function in western ecosystems. While fragmentation studies have a long history in forested ecosystems, recent research has also described fragmentation as an interruptive process affecting the sustainability of rangeland ecosystems. Fragmentation of rangelands affects wildlife and some plant populations, hydrological and biogeochemical processes, and even social and economic systems associated with rangelands. Fragmentation measures the size of contiguous areas, spatial organization, and community type dispersion.

Birds are particularly sensitive to certain types and patterns of development. Landscape fragmentation, loss of food and nesting vegetation, predation by domestic cats and nest-predation by medium-sized carnivorous mammals (e.g., skunks) can all affect species presence, abundance, and distribution. They are also a well-studied fauna and there are many types of existing monitoring for birds in general.

This index is also called the evenness index and compares calculated and maximum biodiversity (evenness = (calculated diversity - minimum diversity)/(maximum diversity - minimum diversity)).

Herbaceous plants on the forest floor and in rangelands are habitat an forage for many animal species. They are light/shade-sensitive, usually lost during fire, and recover quickly from disturbance, assuming climatic conditions and seeds are available. Their presence, abundance and diversity indicate a healthy forest or rangeland.

In some areas, one would expect to find a wide range of woody species, in other areas, less diversity might be expected. The number of observed species relative to expected is a common measure of ecosystem condition.

The IUCN "Red List" includes plants and animals that are threatened with further endangerment or extinction. Presence on this list is an indication of serious rarity or threats to a species.

Ideally, 100% of a forest or rangeland area would be covered with native species. As weeds invade, the area covered by native species may decline, resulting in simplification of plant communities, loss of habitat, and change in ecosystem structure and function.