Existing Geospatial Knowledge of Gopher Tortoise Population and Abundance
Abstract
A number of key Army installations in the southeastern United States support numerous at-risk species. Many of these species have the potential to cause severe training restrictions in the future. To avoid the loss of training capacity, a proactive strategy for species conservation across the range must be developed. The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) may be the most prominent and most widely distributed of these at-risk species in the Southeast. In the case of the tortoise, a proactive strategy will require a basic understanding of its current abundance and distribution, better understanding of its habitat requirements, development of population viability analysis methods, agreement among regulators and land managers on population goals, and methods to efficiently monitor gopher tortoise populations over time with regard to the established population goals. Data on the gopher tortoise were collected from academic, national, state, and local sources. All data were captured in tabular or GIS vector and raster formats. Data received at the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory were entered into spatial data layers as appropriate, and appended with quality-checked metadata to describe the dataset. This dataset will be available on CD or DVD for distribution to the public.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA473829
Entities
People
- Harold E. Balbach
- Jason T. Berner
- William D. Meyer
Organizations
- Engineer Research and Development Center