A Dynamic Simulation Model of the Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) Habitat in the Central Mojave Desert.
Abstract
Historically, conscientious land use decisions that preserve complex relationships within ecosystems and among communities living on the landscape emerged only by rigorously testing various land management strategies. Until recently, the most convenient 'laboratory' available was the open environment itself. Political and legislative policies have provided incentives to change this costly trial-and-error experimentation. Across the nation, Army and civilian land management offices responsible for the management of natural resources, endangered species, water quality, aesthetics, and economic productivity of the land, are turning toward ecological modeling for assistance in making decisions. This report describes the development of a dynamic, spatial, ecological model designed to help manage and protect the endangered desert tortoise living at Fort Irwin, an Army training center in the Mojave Desert. It is a generic prototype of the kind of tool needed to predict potential consequences and the degree of severity that highly disruptive land uses can have on the natural environment.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA328629
Entities
People
- Bruce Hannon
- James Westervelt
- Shaun Levi
- Steven Harper
Organizations
- Construction Engineering Research Laboratory