干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

A conservation gap analysis was conducted for the Intermountain Semi-Desert ecoregion to assess the representation of land-cover types within areas managed primarily for biodiversity objectives. Mapped distributions of plant communities were summarized by land-management status categories. The total amount of land permanently protected.ed in the ecoregion is <4%, and most types that are characteristic of the region have < 10%. Of 48 land-cover types, 20 were found to be particularly vulnerable to potential loss or degradation because of low level of representation in bio-diversity management areas and the impact of expected land-use activities. Gap analysis data and findings will be useful in providing a regional perspective in project impact assessment and future conservation planning within this ecoregion.