Habitats

Conservation strategies for SGCN revolve around understanding and effectively managing the terrestrial and aquatic habitats they occupy.  Here, habitats are identified within and among ecoregions and watersheds to provide a focus for addressing conservation threats, actions, and identifying conservation opportunities for target species.

SWAP Aquatic Habitats are:

  • Perennial and ephemeral waters found in streams, lakes, reservoirs, marshes, and springs
  • There are eight specific aquatic habitats in New Mexico that were mapped using the National Hydrography Dataset and aerial photography from the National Agriculture Imagery Program.
  • They are described in terms of persistence, temperature regimes and environment following state standards.
  • Aquatic habitats are a priority because of New Mexico’s limited water supply and surrounding land use impacts.

SWAP Terrestrial Habitats are:

  • Grouped into six general types with 33 finer-scale habitats.
  • Mapped based on SWReGAP 2005
  • Linked to the US National Vegetation Classification System (USNVC) Macrogroup descriptions to provide detailed information on composition and ecology.
  • Are tiered reflect their habitat value and needs for conservation (Tier 1 through 4: most to least urgent; Tier 5: non-habitat) with riparian and wetland habitats ranking highest.

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