Mapping Species At Risk and Of Cultural Value

The escalating urbanization and human-induced land use changes have precipitated a global biodiversity crisis, imperiling indigenous ecosystems and cultural heritage. Nanaimo Regional District (NRD) in British Columbia, with its rich biodiversity and Indigenous lands, is facing the challenge of balancing urban development and species conservation. To provide better insights for urban planners and indigenous communities on protecting local biodiversity, the study aims to visualize the biodiversity of the identified species and evaluate the land protection levels by species richness and Land Cover Species Importance Score (LCSIS). The study assigns value to two criteria by importance level to gain the SIS of the identified species at risk and of cultural value. Integrating species occurrence data with land parcels and land cover data to illustrate spatial patterns of species richness and importance level. It reveals that larger rural parcels have higher species richness, primarily located in the eastern part of NRD. Smaller parcels around urban areas, particularly east coastal regions, have higher species richness density. LCSIS value varies across different land cover types. By reclassifying and combining the species richness and LCSIS, the spatial distribution of identified Protection Areas (PAs) is mapped and classified into three classes, high, median, and low. The study also explores the proximity of different classes of PAs to urban areas, to assess if further urban expansion would impact the identified PA. Implications for urban planning are profound. By delineating priority conservation areas and integrating them into land use plans, planners can mitigate the adverse impacts of urban expansion on biodiversity and cultural heritage. This proactive approach fosters sustainable development, preserves vital ecosystems, and honors Indigenous traditions.

不断加剧的城市化进程与人为土地利用变化，已引发全球性生物多样性危机，危及本土生态系统与文化遗产。不列颠哥伦比亚省纳奈莫地区（Nanaimo Regional District, NRD）拥有丰富的生物多样性与原住民土地，正面临平衡城市开发与物种保护的双重挑战。为向城市规划者与原住民社区提供本地生物多样性保护的更优决策参考，本研究旨在对已确认物种的生物多样性状况进行可视化呈现，并通过物种丰富度与土地覆盖物种重要性评分（Land Cover Species Importance Score, LCSIS）评估土地保护等级。本研究依据重要性层级对两项标准赋予权重，以计算受威胁物种与具有文化价值物种的物种重要性评分（SIS）。研究将物种出现数据与地块数据、土地覆盖数据进行整合，以阐明物种丰富度与重要性层级的空间分布格局。结果显示，面积较大的乡村地块物种丰富度更高，且主要分布于纳奈莫地区东部；城市周边的小型地块，尤其是东部沿海区域，其物种丰富度密度更高。土地覆盖物种重要性评分（LCSIS）的数值因土地覆盖类型而异。通过对物种丰富度与LCSIS进行重分类与整合，本研究对已确认的保护区（Protection Areas, PAs）的空间分布进行了制图，并将其划分为高、中、低三个等级。本研究还分析了不同等级保护区与城市区域的邻近程度，以评估未来城市扩张是否会对已确认的保护区造成影响。本研究对城市规划具有深远意义：通过划定优先保护区域并将其纳入土地利用规划，规划者可减轻城市扩张对生物多样性与文化遗产带来的不利影响。这种前瞻性策略可推动可持续发展，保护关键生态系统，并尊重原住民传统。