Aquatic Biodiversity Summary [ds2768], Areas of Conservation Emphasis (ACE), version 3.0.
The Aquatic Biodiversity Summary is a compilation of the best available information on aquatic species biodiversity in California, including aquatic amphibians, fish, aquatic invertebrates, and aquatic reptiles, for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Areas of Conservation Emphasis Project (ACE). It is one component, together with Terrestrial Biodiversity, of overall species biodiversity in California.
The aquatic biodiversity summary combines the three measures of biodiversity developed for ACE into a single metric: 1) aquatic native species richness, which represents overall native diversity of all species in the state, both common and rare; 2) aquatic rare species richness, which represents diversity of rare species; and, 3) aquatic irreplaceability, which is a weighted measure of rarity and endemism.
The data can be used to view patterns of overall species diversity, and identify areas of highest biodiversity across the state, taking into account common, rare, and rare endemic species. Users can view a list of species that contribute to the biodiversity measures for each watershed. The aquatic biodiversity summary is a sum of values normalized by taxonomic group, so that areas of highest diversity for each taxonomic group contribute equally to the final map.
For more information, see the Aquatic Biodiversity Index Factsheet at https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=150856 .
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) Areas of Conservation Emphasis (ACE) is a compilation and analysis of the best-available statewide spatial information in California on biodiversity, rarity and endemism, harvested species, significant habitats, connectivity and wildlife movement, climate vulnerability, climate refugia, and other relevant data (e.g., other conservation priorities such as those identified in the State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP), stressors, land ownership).
ACE addresses both terrestrial and aquatic data. The ACE model combines and analyzes terrestrial information in a 2.5 square mile hexagon grid and aquatic information at the HUC12 watershed level across the state to produce a series of maps for use in non-regulatory evaluation of conservation priorities in California. The model addresses as many of CDFWs statewide conservation and recreational mandates as feasible using high quality data sources. High value areas statewide and in each USDA Ecoregion were identified. The ACE maps and data can be viewed in the ACE online map viewer, or downloaded for use in ArcGIS.
For more detailed information see https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/Analysis/ACE and https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=24326 .
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