Summary
This is a map of conservation sites in the Western Ghats that have been prioritized for conservation investment by the Critical Ecosystems Partnership Fund (CEPF).
Description
This map was prepared for the purpose of identifying priority areas to focus CEPF conservation investment in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot.
Methodology
A prioritization of conservation areas that contain occurrences of IUCN (2002) red listed species was undertaken. Numbers of globally threatened mammal, bird and amphibian species were considered, because data in the other taxonomic groups was not considered to be comprehensive enough to permit a region-wide analysis. Sites that are globally irreplaceable because one or more species they contain are not found anywhere else, will be among the priorities for CEPF investment. In an attempt to objectively prioritize the remaining sites, a grid-based analysis of conservation value was undertaken. A cumulative conservation value index was calculated for each grid. Criteria that were considered in the conservation value index, included the number of globally threatened species, presence of regionally rare vegetation types and unique ecosystems such as Myristica swamps and the availability of relatively unfragmented forest and other natural habitats. Conservation areas containing grids falling in the upper quartile (top 25 percent) of the conservation value index were identified as being high priority. Please see reference document for further details on methodology.
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A total of 80 priority sites have been identified for CEPF funding. The results of the conservation value index calculation revealed that substantial biodiversity at the species and site levels occur outside protected areas. The results of the prioritization also indicate that 80 percent of the high conservation value areas lie in and around (or adjacent to) existing protected areas. The high conservation value of some of these neighboring unprotected areas resulting from factors such as intact forest cover or the presence – in relatively high densities – of unique and threatened vegetation types. Furthermore, 3,600 square kilometers of high-priority area was not contained within the existing protected area network. Another significant finding of the analysis was the highly fragmented nature of high-priority areas. Only 24.8 percent of the total area of moist evergreen forests of the Western Ghats was found to be relatively unfragmented.
External Links
References
CEPF. 2007. Ecosystem Profile: Western Ghats & Sri Lanka Biodiversity Hotspot. Western Ghats Region. Final version May 2007. Conservation International, Arlington, USA.
http://www.cepf.net/xp/cepf/static/pdfs/Final.WesternGhatsSrilanka_Western