R ecommendat i on s

This report showed the results of multiple, complementary approaches to assess the current state of wildlife habitat connectivity in Whatcom County. While the Connectivity Value index provides the combined output of all the models and provides an easy-to-understand map, each model used in this project provides a unique insight into wildlife habitat connectivity. Each of our output maps should be considered during development planning, conservation prioritization, development of comprehensive planning documents, and transportation planning.

The Linkage Mapper model of habitat cores connected by least cost paths and least cost corridors identifies the most intact habitats remaining on the landscape and the best connections between them. This information can be used to guide conservation to keep important habitat cores intact, avoid severing crucial connections, and restore connectivity between cores where no good connections currently exist. The Pinchpoint map from Linkage Mapper goes a step further by highlighting the most tenuous connections between cores that may have the most urgent need for conservation or restoration to avoid connectivity loss.

As for the Omniscape connectivity model, the categorized normalized cumulative current map breaks the landscape into four categories describing different types of wildlife movement potential. Each of these movement types requires a different type of management to maintain or improve wildlife connectivity. Areas characterized by diffuse the margins of development, and may be at risk of decreased wildlife connectivity if fragmentation continues. Channelized areas highlight corridors where wildlife movement is constrained by high-resistance landscape surrounding them. These corridors should be considered as threatened connections that may require protection or restoration. Impeded movement areas are largely developed areas that cause wildlife movement diversion through channelized corridors. Since they are already impeded, these areas should be considered as locations for new development to minimize the impacts of that development on wildlife habitat connectivity.

We also recommend that Whatcom County continues to monitor the status of wildlife habitat connectivity into the future as development and conservation continue. This report was written with the intent of full transparency so that these analyses can be repeated in the future with new landscape data. Future analysis could reveal important insights such as the measurable impact of development and fragmentation on connectivity loss and, conversely, the increases in connectivity that are possible when critical connections between habitat cores are restored.