Translating restoration scenarios into habitat conditions: an initial step in evaluating recovery strategies for Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

Abstract

One of the challenges associated with recovering imperiled species, such as Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), is identifying a set of actions that will ensure species' persistence. Here we evaluate the effects of alternative land use scenarios on habitat conditions potentially important to Chinook salmon. We first summarize the alternative scenarios as target levels for certain land use characteristics. We then use the target levels to estimate changes in current habitat conditions. The scenarios we explore indicate considerable potential to improve both the quality and quantity of salmon habitat through protection and restoration. Results from this analysis constitute the habitat inputs to a population model linking changes in habitat to salmon population status. By transparently documenting the approach we use to translate land use actions into changes in salmon habitat conditions, we provide decision makers with a clear basis for choosing strategies to recover salmon.