Biogeography Laboratory
Biogeography Laboratory
The Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project (SNEP) is an assessment of the entire Sierra Nevada ecoregion (California and western Nevada). The study was requested by Congress in 1992, will be completed in December 1995, and is funded by Congress and the U.S. Forest Service. This ecosystem evaluation undertakes, as specifically requested by Congress, a scientific review of late-successional forests, key watersheds, and significant natural areas (e.g., areas with sensitive species) on federal lands of the Sierra Nevada ecoregion, and also broadly evaluates the entire set of Sierra Nevada ecosystems, including their social, economic, and ecological components. The overall goal of the Project is to provide an accurate ecosystem assessment. This will enable managers to identify, measure and monitor key structural components, functional processes, and ranges of variability in order to manage these ecosystems for sustainability.
The Biogeography Lab is collaborating with SNEP to produce a Sierra Nevada-wide assessment of the distribution and management status of widespread terrestrial plant communities and vertebrate species. This analysis, undertaken as part of the Gap Analysis of California, will provide 1) digital distribution maps of selected plant species, plant communities, vertebrate species, and land management units; 2) map accuracy assessment; 3) tabular summaries of the ownership and management status of species and communities; 4) analyses to identify species and communities that are potentially at risk based on their current management status; 5) and identification and mapping of areas of communities at risk and/or high overall community diversity and species richness.