Evaluation and Adaptive Management of the Huron River Watershed Council Natural Areas Assessment and Protection Project

Abstract

Natural areas are critical to ecosystem resilience and ecosystem services, including water quality, but many are threatened by development, fragmentation, and habitat degradation. The Natural Areas Assessment and Protection Program (NAAP) was created in 2006 by the Huron River Watershed Council to map and assess the natural areas in the Huron River watershed of southeastern Michigan. The program shares both GIS and field-based data with decision-makers to inform the prioritization and management of areas with the highest ecological integrity. However, since the program’s inception it has not undergone a thorough review. We systematically assessed and provided improvements for three main areas of the program: 1) Ecological integrity assessment, 2) Data management and integration, and 3) Engagement and impact.