This layer was created with the Linkage Pathways Tool (originally called Linkage Mapper before the rest of the tools in the toolbox were developed). The tool maps the linkages and quantifies the value of each path within a linkage (B. H. McRae and Kavanagh 2011). This results in “least cost corridors”. We used an informal sensitivity analysis (visually evaluating mapped results using various parameter values) to establish a maximum linkage width of 800,000 cost-weighted distance units. We chose this relatively large width with the intention of using a color ramp with many colors, thereby being able to show visually where the high quality linkage locations are (corresponding to about 100,000 units in the “electric green” color) as well as the other areas that could be pathways between HCAs. This tool yielded the Linkage Pathways output (i.e. least-cost corridors), which is the standard connectivity output.
McRae, B. H., and D. M. Kavanagh. 2011. “Linkage Mapper Connectivity Analysis Software.” Seattle, WA: The Nature Conservancy. http://www.circuitscape.org/linkagemapper.
More details are in the report:
Gallo, J.A., E.C. Butts, T.A. Miewald, K.A. Foster. 2019. Comparing and Combining Omniscape and Linkage Mapper Connectivity Analyses in Western Washington. Published by: Conservation Biology Institute. Corvallis, OR, https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.8120924
Original file name: Least Cost Corridor v190410_vm10_4 (truncated at 800k normalized inverted)
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